Heart of the Warrior Book VI
by MadnessPersonified
Summary: Sequel to Books I through V. With enemies coming from all directions, Harry Potter will need all the help he can get. Full summary is in my profile.
1. Chapter 1: 1000 Miles Over Beijing

**Chapter One: One Thousand Miles Over Beijing**

Outside the city of New York, a Foot Helicopter circled a warehouse on the outskirts of town, before touching down in front of the warehouse, where the excitable Dr. Chaplin was waiting for the occupants on the helicopter. The front of the helicopter opened, revealing the four occupants. Oroku Saki, the leader of the Foot Clan, also known as the Shredder, stepped towards the warehouse, surveying the scene with an indifferent look. The man mountain and one of Saki's most dangerous minions, Hun stepped from the copter next, his arms folded. Karai, Saki's adopted daughter and second in command, followed Hun from the helicopter. Finally, the container containing the brain, spinal cord, and eyeball of the egotistical Dr. Baxter Stockman, kept alive by alien technology implanted into the spinal cord, arrived, a snide expression plastered on the holographic project on his face. The four representatives of the Foot stepped forward, where Chaplin had a big excited grin on his face, as he awaited his guests. Saki turned, looking at Chaplin with his arms folded and a slight scowl on his face.

"I trust this excursion outside of the city will be well worth my time, Dr. Chaplin," remarked Saki calmly.

"Oh, believe me Master, I think you will dig it, big time," responded Chaplin in a boisterous voice, as he began to push the doors of the warehouse open to reveal a large blimp that filled most of the warehouse.

This discovery prompted the holographic projection of Stockman's head to turn up its nose in disgust.

"You brought us all the way out here for a blimp?" asked Stockman incredulously. "Who was the pea-brained halfwit who authorized this project?"

"I did," replied Saki coldly.

"Oh, I'm sure you did have your reasons ol' wise and revered Master," responded Stockman, backtracking quickly from his previous statement.

Saki ignored Stockman, deciding to examine the blimp that was crucial for the next step in his plan.

"Excellent work, Dr. Chaplin," said Saki with a cool nod.

"I installed the force field override mechanism that you recovered two nights ago, just as you requested," continued Chaplin pointing towards the blimp. "This baby will breech the atmosphere shields around the floating city of Beijing and snatch the desired cargo!"

"And just what pray tell does the boy genius think he is retrieving?" asked Stockman snidely.

"The Triceraton Anti-Gravity Generator currently holding the city of Beijing high above the earth," answered Saki calmly.

"But Master, retrieving an Anti-Gravity Generator from a city that is suspended thousands of feet above the earth, is a virtual suicide mission!" exclaimed Stockman before he could help us and Saki nodded in response.

"I'm well aware of that Dr. Stockman and I'm glad you know the risks, because you will be the one to personally lead this mission," responded Saki coldly, causing Stockman's container to back off, with the holographic head projection to gulp in complete terror.

"Master, what of the millions of innocent people trapped inside the floating city of Beijing?" asked Karai.

"They are of no concern to me, Karai," said Saki coldly which caused Karai to turn away briefly to hide her disapproving look.

Hun stepped in front of Saki, glaring at Karai.

"How dare you question, Master Saki, Karai?" demanded Hun in a loyal voice, but Karai refused to back down from his menacing glare. "Personally, I'm behind this plan one hundred percent!"

Hun smirked, before turning to his Master.

"Good, Hun, because you will be joining Stockman on this dangerous mission," said Saki, causing the smirk to completely off of Hun's face as Karai quickly stepped out of the scene, as her father continued to talk about the plan to recover the Anti-Gravity Generator from the floating city of Beijing.

Harry Potter laid on his bed, with his head rested on his arms, looking up at the television, barely paying attention to the ongoing coverage of the frantic attempts to get the floating city of Beijing down from high above the earth. In nearly a year, despite many attempts and near missing, Beijing remained floating high above the Earth, thanks to the Triceratons.

Harry decided to take up watching the news, attempting to get a few hints on strange and bizarre events that might have some connected to Voldemort. So far, the news seemed to rather mundane, with the exception of the ongoing coverage of the floating Beijing Crisis. Harry picked up the remote control shutting off the television, before slowly walking across the room to his desk to the magical radio that was tapped into the Great Britain Wizarding Wireless. Right beside the radio was three framed pictures. The first was a framed Muggle portrait of Harry with his girlfriend Ginny Weasley, his sister Hailey, and his mother Lily, taken during Hailey's fourteenth birthday party over a month ago. The next photo was a picture of Harry along with his three friends in his fourth year at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass, and Theodore Nott. That photograph looked to be taken maybe during their first year. Harry couldn't believe how young and innocent they all looked.

The final photograph was a magical picture of a baby version Harry with his parents, along with Sirius, and Remus. It was taken just months before Voldemort had attacked. Lily had found the picture in her Gringotts vault and gave it to her son. She said she suspected that Wormtail was once in the picture, but the magic in the portrait had recognized him as a traitor, wiping him out of the photo.

Along with the three framed pictures on Harry's desk, a large poster board with various pictures of Harry's four mutant turtle brothers, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, along with their Master Splinter was tacked to the wall. It was a duplicate of the poster board that Harry had placed on the wall of his room down at the lair. There were many more pictures in a photo album underneath Harry's desk, some of Harry and his friends along with some of Harry's parents and their friends from Hogwarts.

Harry fiddled with the knobs on the magical radio, before tuning in the right frequency.

"Repeating tonight's top story, former Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has been found dead in his Oxford home," droned the newscaster. "The dark mark was found over the ex-Minister of Magic's home, and Ministry officials believe that Fudge and his wife were victims of the Death Eaters of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. There is strong speculation that Cornelius Fudge knew something about the plans of You-Know-Who and was silenced accordingly but the Ministry of Magic has not confirmed nor denied these rumors as of yet."

Fudge was dead, and Harry wondered if Voldemort was just covering all of his bases, on the off chance that Lucius Malfoy might have let something slip. Harry reached for the radio to turn off but something else piqued his interest.

"The Ministry of Magic has released a press release that they believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers have come to terms with the exiled giants," continued the newscaster. "During the first war, he used the giants to lay waste to several Muggle villages in seconds flat. The Ministry urges the population to have evacuation measures prepared on the chance of a giant invasion. Under no circumstances should a giant be approached."

Harry snorted. Leave it to the Ministry of Magic to state the blatantly obvious. Harry supposed that their next piece of advice would be to, "not get in the way of a Killing Curse".

The door of Harry's room opened unexpectedly and Harry quickly sent a blasting curse through the doorway. Thankfully, the person who had the presence of mind to duck, otherwise, he would have been splattered across the door.

"Harry, it's just me," said Raph and Harry slowly lowered his wand, looking at Raph. "Jeez, you'd think you ain't happy to see me or something."

"You can never be too careful Raph," replied Harry in a tired voice. He had not gotten too much sleep over the past couple of nights because of his scar stinging at odd hours of the night. Harry imagined he would have nightmares that had to do with his connection to Voldemort if he had not meditated every night before falling asleep.

"Anyway, I just saw something that I really think you should see Harry," continued Raph.

"Is it so important that you just had to barge into my room without knocking and risk being cursed?" asked Harry in a moody tone of voice.

"Just c'mon and see," said Raph and Harry raised himself to his feet, following his third oldest brother down the stairs towards the front door and out to the streets of New York.

After a few minutes of walking, Raph and Harry stopped, with Don, Mikey, and Leo waiting on a rooftop just about a block from the Potter residence. The four Turtles and Harry leapt across a few more rooftops, before Raph pointed towards a pile of wreckage on the outskirts of the city with several uniformed workers loading crates onto the back of the truck.

"There it is just, just like I told ya," muttered Raph. "Another one of the Shredder's garbage collecting goon squads."

"Collecting more alien technology from the wreckage no doubt," replied Don as Harry leaned in closer to look.

"A Triceraton Supply Ship," said Harry darkly, pointing to the logo on the ship. "Salazar only knows what salvageable weaponry Shredder can find on that thing."

The trucks seemed to be pulling away from the night, leaving the Triceraton Supply Ship unguarded and completely vulnerable for anyone to take a look inside.

"Let's say we take a quick peak and find out," said Mikey, just as Don's shell cell began to ring. Don cautiously opened it up, listening intently.

"Hello?" asked Don but a second later, the shell cell emitted a loud, squealing sound, causing Leo, Mikey, Don, and Harry to clap their hands over their ears to block the irritating sound out.

"Not that ridiculous fax call again," grumbled Raph as Don pulled out a portable computer and a cable, using the cable to fasten the shell cell and portal computer together.

"This time, I came prepared and I'll be able to trace the source," declared Don, before seeing a curious message on his portable computer. "Download in progress? What the…"

"Don, worry about that later," said Leo cautiously, as he saw a shadowy figure slip into the Triceraton Supply Ship. "Someone just slipped inside that ship."

Don put his portable computer and shell cell back into the duffel bag over his shoulder, with the portable computer continuing to download.

"Let's check it out," muttered Raph, who pulled out his Sais out ready for a fight, before leaping down, with the others following a bit more cautiously behind him.

The four turtles and Harry crept into the Triceraton supply ship, looking around, but the ship seemed to be mostly stripped clean.

"Nothing in here of value to the Shredder," whispered Leo looking around the ship and the doors of the ship blew shut a few seconds after Leo.

"Nothing except us," answered Harry shortly

"Damn, we walked into a trap," grumbled Raph, who leapt forward, hoisting his Sai into the air, ready to throw it towards the first sign of movement. "Bring it you Foot goons!"

A figure did emerge from the shadows. Karai.

"Oh, it's you," declared Harry coolly.

"We need to talk," said Karai, surveying the four Turtles and Harry calmly.

"Talk to the Sai lady, because the ears ain't listening," declared Raph but Leo grabbed Raph's arm.

"Raph, it won't hurt to hear what she says," said Leo. "She did save us last time."

"Yes, that's a good point," replied Mikey. "If you completely disregard the fact that she tried to kill us the time before that!"

"There's no delicate way of putting this," said Karai in a reasonable tone of voice. "I need your help."

Back at the warehouse, Hun and Stockman roamed around the blimp, preparing for the big mission.

"I can't believe it," grunted Hun. "All our years of loyal service and for what? Pushed aside for the new blood."

"I think it's high time we put our differences aside and started pushing back," replied Stockman savagely promptly Hun to nod curtly as Dr. Chaplin walked inside, whistling merrily, before turning to Stockman.

"I just want to say that it is truly an honor to be working with the legendary Baxter Stockman," said Chaplin in an excited voice, before his expression grew mildly grave as he surveyed Stockman's bastardized form. "Even if you are a freakish brain in a jar shadow of your former self."

Stockman said nothing as Chaplin gazed into the holographic projection of Stockman's head for a few seconds.

"So, that's why I've decided to do you a favor and put you out of your misery," declared Chaplin with a grin on his face.

"S-s-stop," stammered Stockman as Chaplin advanced on him with a wide, nearly spooky, grin, reaching forward. "What are you doing?"

Chaplin reached forward, pressing a button to deactivate both the holographic projection of Stockman's head and the speaker system projecting his voice. With a gentle press, Chaplin popped the top of Stockman's container and hoisted the container upwards where a headless exosuit walked over towards Stockman. Hun stepped forward, to get a better look at the scene, with his arms folded and an indifferent look on his face. The arms of the exosuit reached over, grabbing Stockman's remains in its hands and the top of the exosuit popped open, before Stockman's brain, spinal cord, and remaining eye was placed inside. A few seconds later, the holographic projection of Stockman's head popped to life where the head would have been on the exosuit.

"Release me at once you…" started Stockman before stopping once he realized he was in a new body.

"What do you think of your new bod?" asked Chaplin cheerfully.

Stockman took a few seconds to examine his brand new body.

"Yes, I have limbs!" exclaimed Stockman triumphantly. "Powerful, powerful limbs!"

"I figure you might need them to survive the big mission," said Chaplin cheerfully.

An idea began to form in Stockman's head that he would be foolish not to use.

"Ah yes, the mission," said Stockman calmly. "A pity you can't come along on the maiden voyage of this own ship that you built with your own two hands. Not to mention watch in awe as an entire village crashes down from the stratosphere!"

"That would be so wicked!" exclaimed Chaplin, looking like a kid at Christmas time.

"Yes, you could come with us, behind the Shredder's back," declared Stockman calmly before adding in a disapproving voice. "But that would be wrong."

"Hey, what the boss doesn't know, won't hurt him right?" asked Chaplin.

"Of course and I would naturally assume all responsibility for you throughout the mission," added Stockman, putting the arm of his exosuit around Chaplin in a faux fatherly matter. "After all, we wouldn't want you to fall victim to some horrific, fatal accident when we are trying to retrieve the device."

Back at the Triceraton Supply Ship, Karai had just finished explaining the situation with the Anti-Gravity Generator to the Turtles and Harry.

"So, you can see, if the Anti-Gravity generator is removed while the city is still suspended in the air, millions will plummet to their death," concluded Karai.

"So, does that mean you've finally wised up and walked away from the Shredder?" asked Leo in a casual tone of voice.

"I am duty bound to serve my father as always," answered Karai. "I just don't want to see millions of innocents perish."

Harry had two conflicting thoughts passing through his head. He felt extremely leery about trusting anyone connected to the Shredder but at the same time, he couldn't stand back and not do anything with all those innocent lives hanging in the balance.

"Even if we agreed to help you, there is no way we can stop the Shredder from coming back for the Anti-Gravity generator," injected Don in a logical voice. "I mean, it's not like we can shut it down."

"Actually I might be able to provide a solution for that particular technical conundrum," said a very familiar voice from inside of Don's duffel bag.

"Whoa dude, I must be hearing things," said Mikey in a disbelieving voice as Don reached slowly into his bag, with a shocked look on his face. "I could've sworn that sounded like Professor Honeycutt, but.."

Mikey was struck silent, as the others crowded around to see the Fugitoid's face on Don's computer.

"Hello!" exclaimed the Fugitoid happily.

"Professor Honeycutt you're alive," answered Harry calmly. "But how is this possible…we saw you sacrifice yourself…you saved the world."

"Oh dear, I'm afraid I don't remember any of that," responded Honeycutt in a fretful voice. "The last thing I remember is that I was on a rooftop with Donatello, broadcasting a signal that would make myself invisible to the Triceratons. What I didn't tell you was that I also uploaded a backup of my memory core into the Satellite Communications Network, that was programmed to contact you in the event of my demise, which I assume, happened."

"So the calls to my shell cell, that was you trying to contact us," summarized Don, nodding his head. "And that download was the upload of your memory core."

"Well most if it anyway," answered Honeycutt. "Unfortunately, your hard drive was lacking in capacity so I had to forego certain non essential information."

"Who cares, Professor, I'm just happy to see you again!" exclaimed Mikey, taking the portable computer from Don.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" asked Professor Honeycutt in a confused voice.

"It's Michelangelo," said Mikey. "Mikey? The Mikester?"

The Fugitoid gave no sign of recognition.

"So what, I'm now non essential information!" exclaimed Mikey in an incredulous tone of voice as Don snatched back the portable computer.

"Anyway, I couldn't help overhearing your dilemma, Miss.." started the Fugitoid.

"Karai," responded Karai

"Anyway, with my knowledge of Triceraton technology, I should be able to deactivate the Anti-Gravity generator and set the city of Beijing back down on the Earth," explained the Fugitoid.

"Then it's settled, but there is just one small problem," answered Harry. "Exactly how do we get into the floating city of Beijing?"

"Leave that to me," said Karai.

Back at the warehouse where the blimp was located, Karai waved for a pair of Foot Technicians who were carrying a large crate towards the blimp. Hun walked over, surveying the crate with a large sneer on his face.

"What's in the crate, Karai?" asked Hun, his eyes traveling from Karai to the crate with quite the suspicious look in them. "And why have you just suddenly decided to join us on this mission?"

"That is none of your concern," replied Karai coldly, as she made sure the crate was safely on the vessel, as Hun's face contorted into a scowl, as he cracked his knuckles. Karai herself then disappeared onto the blimp.

Needless to say, Karai wasn't the only person to have a mysterious crate loaded onto the Foot blimp. A series of forklifts containing crates containing what appeared to be metallic eggs. Chaplin directed traffic as the crates were loaded onto the blimp.

"What are those things?" asked Stockman surveying the contents of the crate with a curious look.

"Now, that would spoil the surprise, Dr. Stockman," replied Chaplin as he moved towards the blimp, with Hun and Stockman following inside. The doors leading to the blimp shut and the top of the factory opened, allowing the blimp to float up into the air and sail towards the city of Beijing.

Many hours later, the blimp lifted above the atmospheric shield engulfing Beijing so it could descend.

"Welcome to China!" announced Chapin in a loud, boisterous voice as the blimp passed through the shield around the city. "Home of the floating city of Beijing. Pretty cool, huh!"

Karai crept towards the crate, before leaning forward.

"Stand by," hissed Karai in a low voice, not wanting to draw the attention of Hun, Chaplin, or Stockman.

"About bloody time," replied a voice from inside the crate and sure enough inside the crate, Raph, Mikey, Don, Leo, and Harry were crammed in tightly.

"Yeah, I've really got to use the little turtle's room," answered Mikey in a muffled voice. "Get your foot out of my ear Raph!"

"You're damn lucky it isn't my fist in your face, Mikey," grumbled Raph.

"Shut up you two!" hissed Leo. "You want to get us caught!"

Unfortunately, the muffled voice had piqued the attention of Hun, who walked over, looking on the shadows.

"I knew you were up to something, Karai," muttered Hun, before punching a red button that opened a trap door beneath Karai and the crate, causing them to begin to descend rapidly towards the city below. "Whoops. Happy landings Karai!"

Loud screams were heard as the crate containing the Turtles and Harry began to free fall towards the ground.

"We shouldn't have trusted her!" yelled Raph in an angry voice.

"Not now Raph!" yelled Leo, as he managed to get his feet free. "Ready, set, break the bottom!"

Five sets of feet kicked towards the bottom of the crate, breaking it completely open. The Turtles fell out but the sleeve of Harry's shirt caught on a nail, causing the Boy-Who-Lived to hang from the crate. Quickly, Harry pulled out his wand, slicing himself loose from the nail, before dropping down and with one swift motion, throwing his Firebolt from his bag. With a shift motion, Harry landed perfectly on the broom, spinning around, before seeing a glimpse of the Foot Blimp. Harry adjusted his broomstick, and shot towards the Blimp, because no doubt it would lead him right to the Anti-Gravity Generator.

Back on the Blimp, Chaplin turned around, as Hun and Stockman advanced towards him.

"What happened to Karai?" asked Chaplin curiously.

"She was unexpectedly bumped from the mission," replied Hun in a harsh voice. "Word is she had a little falling out with the organization!"

Hun chuckled at his own joke as Chaplin just looked confused as the blimp began to head closer to the Anti-Gravity generator.

Harry soured through the air, seeing a bit of the blimp out of the corner of his eye. He removed his communication mirror from his pocket.

"Don, it's me Harry," replied Harry.

"Harry, are you alright?" asked Don, as he answered the mirror.

"Fine, I'm following the Foot Blimp on broomstick right now," replied Harry. "How are the others?"

"A bit roughed up, but okay," replied Don. "Karai seemed to have given us the slip, through."

"Okay, from what I can tell, there are some heavy energy fluctuations that are affecting the flight of my broomstick," declared Harry. "The Anti-Gravity generator is at Tiananmen Square."

"Thank you Harry, we'll meet you in a few minutes," replied Don.

"Okay, I'll try to get in close as I can manage," said Harry, as he held on tight to his broomsticks, attempting to avoid being knocked off course by the energy fluctuations coming from the Anti-Gravity generator.

The blimp was nearly directly above the Anti-Gravity generator but the Anti-Gravity Generator wasn't the only thing that was in Tiananmen Square.

"Great, no one told us that we would have a welcoming committee!" said Stockman, looking down at the Chinese police, who were putting spotlights up towards the area where the blimp was flying.

"No sweat Dr. Stockman, I've got it all taken care of!" yelled Chaplin before pressing a few buttons on the console of the blimp. "Time to unleash my surprise."

In a flash, the metallic eggs that Chaplin had put on board spiraled towards the ground of Beijing. The eggs opened, growing limbs and a head with sharp teeth, revealing themselves to be super sized mouser robots. The mega mousers went after the police, causing them to flee from the scene to avoid being torn to shreds.

"Mousers Version Two Point Zero!" exclaimed Chaplin, before turning to Stockman as he rolled his eyes. "A took your basic concept and gave it an upgrade."

"An upgrade," said Stockman. "More like a side grade!"

The mousers began to trample the spotlights, busting them up and Chaplin looked triumphant before a fast blur whizzed past him, circling the blimp. Stockman rushed over, a closer look revealing the figure to be Harry Potter, who had his wand out, circling around the blimp.

"What is that?" asked Chaplin, pointing frantically to the circling figure.

"That is a wizard flying on a broomstick, Dr. Chaplin," replied Stockman calmly. "Now shoot him out of the sky before he ruins everything!"

"Right," said Chaplin, giving a big thumbs up before pressing a large blue button, causing laser cannon to protrude from the side of the blimp.

Harry cursed his own luck, swerving from the right and then to the left, avoiding the heavy streams of laser fire from the canon. He pointed his wand towards the canon, aiming carefully, as not to inadvertently wipe out the Anti-Gravity generator and cause millions of deaths. Harry swerved underneath the rapid fire, zipping from side to side.

A large hook lowered down from the blimp as Harry continued to dodge the laser fire, attempting to get in for a good shot where he could disable the cannons. The hook latched onto the top of the Anti-Gravity generator and Stockman looked down, before seeing four all too familiar shelled figures approaching.

"The Turtles!" exclaimed Stockman. "Someone do something about those wretched reptiles!"

"I've got this one, Dr. Stockman!" yelled Chaplin, bouncing up and down excitedly as he pressed a button on the remote control device. "Mousers, attack!"

The Turtles looked apprehensive as the mega mousers turned their attention towards them, before advancing on them, jaws chomping.

"Funny, Karai never did mention anything about king-size mousers," replied Mikey, as the four Turtles took out their weapons.

"Nothing fancy guys, just clear a path for Don and the Professor!" ordered Leo and the four Turtles leapt up, stepping on the heads of the mega mousers, as Don and the portable computer containing the memory of Professor Honeycutt moved towards the Anti-Gravity generator where Chaplin slid down, make sure the hook was fastened to the top of the Anti-Gravity Generator.

Raph leapt up, twirling his Sais, before slamming them down onto the top of the heads of two of the mega mousers. This didn't phase the killer robots and Mikey swung his nunchucks at it but the mouser caught the weapon in its mouth. A look of horror spread across Mikey's face as the mouser hoisted the turtle up with the jaws, before swinging him around, flinging Mikey roughly into a fence, denting the structure.

Leo leapt up, slashing his swords at the mousers but there were barely any scratches on the mousers. The mousers circled around the three Turtles but a figure began hurtling towards the robots from high above the ground!

Harry dove from high in the air on his Firebolt straight at the robots, causing several of the mega mousers to be knocked backwards and land onto their backs. The limbs of the mousers began to frail, as they struggled to turn themselves over.

Chaplin completed hacking into the Anti-Gravity generator programming code, and prepared to type in the commands that would pull the device free from the pavement. He looked down as Don, who was a few inches away from reaching him.

"You're too late green guy!" exclaimed Chaplin but the Anti-Gravity generator began to glow a sinister blue color, sending a shockwave down from through the ground. "That's not supposed to happen!"

Leo, Raph, Mikey, the mega mousers, Harry, and everything else on the ground began to levitate up as the city of Beijing began to quickly plummet towards Earth!

"This is no good!" yelled Chaplin as he began to climb up the cable towards the blimp. "We have to ditch it!"

"Oh that's not all we're going to ditch, my boy," declared Stockman savagely, pulling a lever and releasing the blimp from the Anti-Gravity Generator, with Chaplin still on the connecting cable! Chaplin screamed in terror, as he hung upside down high above the city of Beijing.

The Foot Blimp flew through the atmospheric shield and out of sight, leaving Chaplin hanging in the air.

"What happens when the city plummets and we're still up here?" asked Mikey in a nervous voice.

"Do you really want to find out that answer?" replied Harry with a question of his own.

Don landed on the Anti-Gravity generator, before pulling his portable computer out.

"Time is running short, Professor," muttered Don nervously, as he hooked up the device to the Anti-Gravity Generator.

"Right-o, we need to slow the descent and bring everyone in the city gently back down, before we can place this city back where it belongs," declared Honeycutt, working as quickly as possible in undoing the hyper reverse gravity of the people in Beijing and the hyper gravity that was causing the city to descend from thousands of miles in the air.

Perilous seconds before the city of Beijing would have crashed into the earth, Honeycutt managed to stop the descent, leaving the city wobbling uncertainly in the air.

Almost as if some rug had been pulled out underneath them, Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Harry began to fall towards the ground, managing to adjust their footing to avoid a harsh landing and hitting the ground without too much injury!

"Yes! Back on solid ground!" exclaimed Mikey cheerfully but just as he said that, the mousers dropped in a circle around the Turtles and Harry.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, so are they," declared Raph and the mousers closed in on Harry, Raph, Mikey, and Leo, their sharp, metallic jaws clamping madly at anything foolish enough to get in their way.

Chaplin landed on the ground, looking pleased at having survived a grisly demise.

"I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm…" said Chaplin but he never finished as one of his mega mousers dropped directly on the top of his head, causing Chaplin to fall to the ground, knocked unconscious from the trauma.

"Now to set this thing down," replied Honeycutt, as Don watched the fighting below involving his brothers against the mega mousers. "I'll have to divert power from the atmospheric shields, but you know, the wind resistance might work in our favor in this case."

The shield around the city began to fade from existence, causing large, chilly gusts of wind to blow across the city where Leo, Mikey, Raph, and Harry were engaged in battle with the mega mousers. Harry spun around, leaping up and avoiding the two mousers, before tossing a pair of shuriken at them, attempting to disable them but the mousers but the mousers avoided Harry's attack. Harry pulled his wand out, and sent a blasting curse towards the head of one of the mousers but the mouser quickly ducked its head down to avoid the spell and leapt up, pinning Harry down with its metallic limbs, chomping towards Harry's head but Leo leapt over, slicing his sword across the top of the head of the mouser. The robot spiraled backwards and leapt at Leo, who avoided the attack, by rolling underneath and clanging his swords across the back of the mouser.

Raph stabbed his Sais right into the top of the head of the mouser but another mouser rushed forward, head butting Raph in the side, causing him to land hard onto the ground. Mikey managed to swing his nunchucks towards one of the mousers, cracking its head open. The mouser stopped for a second, before advancing on Mikey, raising its legs, with its razor sharp jaws chomping at air.

In a blink of an eye, Karai leapt up, with a Kusari-Gama in one hand and a katana in the other hand, wiping out two of the mega mousers with a pair of surprise weapon shots.

"About time you decided to show your face," said Mikey in a moody voice, dodging to the side, before kicking the mega mouser in the side of the head, knocking over on its back!

"I could ill afford to be seen assisting you earlier," answered Karai. "If the Shredder had seen me.."

"There is ample time for explanations later, let's focus on taking out these super sized pests first," grunted Harry, as he struggled to breath as the mouser stood his chest. With a blink of an eye, Harry managed to jab his double edged sword into the abdomen of the robot, blasted backwards, shattering on the ground as it shorted out.

The remaining mega mousers closed in on the attack, two of them crushing Raph in between their large heads. Another mouser sprang up, knocking Leo's katana from his head, before pinning Leo to the ground. Mikey rushed over but was caught in the chest with the metallic limbs of the mega mouser, before being tossed to the side to the ground with a thud. Karai's weapons were yanked from her hands by one of the mega mousers before the mega mouser grabbed onto her, forcing her to the ground.

Harry aimed a kick towards the mega mouser but the mouser brushed off his assault. The metallic monster knocked Harry to the ground. Harry landed on his ground with a large thud. Three of the mega mousers circled Harry, their large jaws chomping at the mouth, ready to rip Harry to shreds. Just as the jaws were inches away from Harry's face, a large burst of energy erupted from the Anti-Gravity generator, blasting through the ground and into the mega mousers. Steam began to float upwards from the mega mousers, before they collapsed to the ground, completely immobile.

Harry looked up cautiously and the city of Beijing was firmly back on earth with minimal damage.

"There, the city of Beijing is on the Earth, the Anti-Gravity Generator is completely fried out," summarized the Fugitoid as Don climbed down with the portable computer. "Not to mention I took the liberty of nullifying those awful metal ruffians."

"So, everything's as it should be," declared Karai calmly.

"Not entirely Karai, not until you walk away from the Shredder," remarked Leo.

"You know this cannot be done, Leonardo," answered Karai curtly.

"You're stranded in Beijing, the Shredder thinks you're dead," declared Leo. "This is a perfect chance to start your life over on your own terms."

"My life is on my terms right now," said Karai before turning towards the four Turtles and Harry with a serious expression on his face. "Could you so easily turn your back on your father? Even if you knew he was evil?

No one seemed to have an answer for this question. Karai walked off into the shadows, without another word.

Harry looked around and spotted something peculiar with the city of Beijing.

"Uh, guys, you notice something wrong with the way this city is situated," remarked Harry, in a forced casual tone.

The four Turtles looked around and sure enough, they noticed that something was not quite about the city. Don slowly raised the portable computer.

"Oh dear, did I set the city down in the wrong direction?" asked the Fugitoid fretfully.

At Oroku Saki's mansion, Hun and Stockman walked towards their master's throne room, looking rather apprehensive.

"We came back empty handed," said Hun. "The Shredder ain't gonna be pleased."

"Adding that failure to the unfortunate demise of Karai and young Dr. Chaplin," muttered Stockman before realizing. "We'll blame it all on them. Just follow my lead."

Stockman and Hun walked into the room, watching Saki standing facing a large television scream, his arms folded.

"Master, the mission didn't go as planned," blurted Stockman. "You see, Karai and Dr. Chaplin…"

"Enough!" thundered Saki. "Why don't you tell your story to Karai and Dr. Chaplin."

Saki stepped forward, revealing the images of Karai and Dr. Chaplin from Beijing. Karai stood in the shadows modestly, while Chaplin waved merrily towards Stockman.

"Hi, Dr. Stockman!" exclaimed Chaplin cheerfully as he continued to wave. "Everything's okay. We're alive!"

Saki turned his attention towards Stockman and Hun, who were backing off in fear as Saki advanced on them.

"But sir, we can…" stammered Stockman but his words faded off into nothingness.

Those who passed Oroku Saki's mansion at this moment could hear blood curdling screams that quickly faded into an eerie silence.

**And we are off and running with the sixth book of the Heart of the Warrior series. Just a quick note, I now have a forum, so if you want to partake in more in-depth discussion about the series, click on the "MyForums" link in my profile. **


	2. Chapter 2: Desperation of the Warrior

**Chapter Two: Desperation of a Warrior**

A loud bang echoed throughout the city of New York as Harry crashed to the ground, caught unaware by an unexpected attack from behind. Harry winced, before pulling himself up to his feet, to turn his head from left to right at the source of the attack.

A dagger whizzed towards Harry's ear and Harry managed to roll underneath the attack, and spring to his feet, staring forward in a battle stance, where a figure in grey robes directly at Harry Potter.

"So, this is the little warrior who the dark one wants to test my skills against," remarked the assassin as he sprang forward, catching Harry right in the chest with a sickening kick. A loud crack echoed and Harry would not have been surprised if several of his ribs had shattered from that one shot.

Harry sprang up tossing a set of shuriken at the assassin but the warrior was prepared for the attack, spinning around, before shooting purple smoke into the air, obscuring Harry's vision. As the smoke cleared, Harry spun around and flipped out of the way, barely avoiding a staff being splintered right into the top of his head. The mercenary landed on his feet, before somersaulting towards Harry, both of his feet extended towards Harry's chest. Harry ducked out of the way, but the assassin managed to kick off of a wall and fly directly towards Harry, cracking his head right into the jaw of the Boy Who Lived!

Harry dropped down to the ground, blood dripping down on the ground. He looked up, to see the assassin attempt to stab a sword towards his chest. In a flash, Harry swung used his blade to block the attack, seconds before the sword would have pierced through his skin. With a seventy degree swipe of blade, the attacker's sword was broken cleanly in half. Harry grabbed him by the front of the robes, ignoring the fact that blood dripped down his own jaw. The assassin pulled a holster from his sleeve and shot sparks right into the face of Harry, forcing his opponent to leap back in shock, a few mild burns on his face.

The assassin gracefully leapt to the side and Harry had a trick up his sleeve, flinging a Kusari-Gama chain from his sleeve, right towards the assassin. The chain spiraled around the assassin's ankles, trapping him. At least for the moment, as the mercenary grabbed the chain, before twisting it, causing Harry to somersault right onto his back, striking the pavement. Harry pulled himself to his feet, favoring his back but the assassin had already maneuvered himself right behind Harry. In a flash, an assassin pulled a Hanbo from underneath his robes, before shooting a dagger right out of it, right towards Harry's face. A quick step to the side and the dagger sailed harmlessly over Harry's shoulder. The assassin spun the Hanbo gracefully, before shooting a chain out from it. The chain wrapped itself around Harry's arms, pinning it to his side. Harry squirmed as the assassin nodded in satisfaction.

The satisfaction evaporated as the chain melted from around Harry, a puddle dropping to the ground around Harry's feet. Harry launched himself towards the assassin, pinning him down with his blade inches away from his throat.

"Who sent you?" asked Harry dangerously in spite of the pain of his broken jaw but the assassin tucked his feet into Harry's stomach, causing the Boy-Who-Lived to drop his blade, before flipping him right into the glass window of a downtown shop. The glass shattered, and Harry fell to the ground, bleeding severely with several pieces of broken glass surrounding his body.

Harry pulled his wand from his sleeve, pointing it towards the pieces of broken glass. With a swish and flick motion, the jagged pieces of glass levitated into the air. Another wand movement, and the pieces of glass shot towards the assassin, who expertly pulled out a sword, ducking and dodging the assault, while slicing the pieces of glass that he could not dodge with his sword.

Harry pulled himself up before leaping at his attacker from the window. The attacker sprang up and cut Harry out of the air with a vicious kick, cracking Harry right in the sternum! Harry dropped down, and the assassin leapt over Harry, before landing on his feet and whipping out his sword in one fluid motion, slashing the right arm of Harry. Harry fell to his knees, blood dripping from the gash on his arm. The assassin looked down at Harry, before kicking him directly in the broken jaw, sending Harry flying to his back.

"Ninety more seconds," hissed a low voice in the ear of the assassin Harry crawled behind the assassin, before swinging his feet at the legs of his attacker. The assassin was knocked off balance and he flew backwards, yelling in pain from the brat hitting his legs.

Despite all the blood dripping from his body, Harry was pleased that he had found a weakness in his attacker. Harry spotted his blade laying a few inches away and quickly swiped it into his hand, before aiming a deadly jab towards the legs of his attacker. The attacker pivoted around Harry, bending his wrist, before shoving his palm directly in Harry's right ear at a ninety degree angle. This one martial arts strike knocked Harry completely off balance. Harry dropped to the ground as the mercenary backed off; stalling for any time he could muster.

Harry pulled himself up to his feet, before becoming dizzy, collapsing to his knees, a ringing sensation echoing through his head. Another futile attempt to get to his feet and Harry collapsed onto the ground, a ringing in his ears and a stabbing pain through his scar.

The assassin stepped forward, pulling out a dagger, raising it high above his head. He had defeated this mysterious warrior that he had been sent to fight and now he was going to take the spoils of victory, the execution of the boy. The dagger moved down to stab the boy in the back of the neck.

"No," hissed the voice of the assassin's employer angrily. "The boy is mine to kill."

The mercenary seemed to stand in stasis, before he felt a jerking sensation that pulled him into thin air.

Harry managed to lift his head up, with a shocked look on his face. One second his attacker was there, and the next second, the assassin had just vanished. The most disturbing part of the entire situation was that the assassin had Harry in a compromising position. Yet, instead of killing him, the assassin just left.

Harry placed his hands on the ground, crawling on the pavement, leaving a trail of blood alongside him as he struggled home. It was lucky that Harry was attacked not too far away from the Potter residence. Inch by inch, Harry squirmed towards the front door, up the driveway before reaching the front door. Harry gingerly pulled himself to a standing position, clinging on the edge of the front door, before managing to shakily lift his arm and press the door bell of his house.

A few seconds pause and the door creaked open, with Hailey sticking her head out. Her confused look became one of complete terror when she saw the state her brother was in.

"Harry!" yelled Hailey in a completely horrified voice, as she bent down to help her brother up, as a few drops of blood fell to the ground. "What happened?"

"Attacked by an assassin," answered Harry in a pained voice, his jaw aching as his sister guided him towards the couch. Harry collapsed onto the couch when he reached it, before looking up at Hailey with a pleading look in his eyes. "Get Mum."

"Oh, yes of course," said Hailey in a worried voice, backing away from her brother. The only time she could remember that Harry had been able to stand was the night Voldemort returned and Harry had gotten the bright idea to blast himself through two entire sets of Anti-Apparation wards to escape from Voldemort. "Mum, come quick. Harry's hurt, bad!"

Lily Potter ran down the stairs from the attic at the frantic screams from her daughter about her son being hurt. Almost a week ago, Harry had come home from what was apparently a scuffle with the Foot and a trio of androids with a shattered nose. Thankfully, when her children were at Hogwarts, Lily was studying to become a Healer, so she managed to heal Harry's nose in no time flat. It wasn't because she wanted to go into Healing as a career, but this choice of action was because of the extraordinary amount of trouble that Harry had faced. Unfortunately, that led to Harry getting serious injured far too often, because he was far too stubborn to back off from a confrontation when he was at a disadvantage. Almost like Lily when she was younger. An attitude that caused a fair share of anxious, nearly fatal, moments against Death Eaters.

In fact, when push came to shove, Lily was still like that. A confrontation with Bellatrix Lestrange after the Interim Ministry of Magic elections of six months ago had proved that simple fact.

Lily reached the living room and gasped as she saw her son, who could barely hold his head up. This was definitely the worst that she had seen him. Lily decided she would ask questions later, Harry was in desperately in need of Healing promptly.

Lily waved her wand, stitching up the small cuts on Harry's face and removing the broken pieces of glass from his hair. A wave her wand caused a purple light to engulf Harry's jaw, healing it in a few seconds. Her eyes traveled to his ear, which was a raw red color and oozing puss.

"Harry, I need to know what happened to your ear so I can heal it," said Lily firmly.

"The assassin that attacked me, struck me in the ear with his palm with his wrist bent at a ninety degree angle, knocking me off balance," muttered Harry in a dazed voice.

"Mongolian Death Strike," said Lily darkly. "Don't move. I need to get something to heal that ear and that nasty gash on your arm, not to mention your ear."

"What is a Mongolian Death Strike?" asked Harry in a confused voice. Master Splinter hadn't taught Harry or his brothers of that particular move.

"I'll explain later, we need to heal that ear quickly," answered Lily quickly as she moved quickly to her Potion's Lab that was adjacent from her bedroom.

A moment later, Lily returned with two vials. One of them contained a light blue potion; the second one contained a smoking purple mixture. Lily uncorked the blue potion and quickly spread it onto Harry's right ear. Harry gritted his teeth, as his ear as if it was on fire for a few seconds, before it slowly turned into a dull stabbing sensation. At least the ringing began to fade from Harry's head. The potion quickly absorbed and Lily shot bandages from her wand, wrapping up Harry's injured ear.

"Your ear should completely heal in a few weeks, Harry and should retain the majority of your hearing," said Lily, as she poured the purple potion into the gash on her son's arm, cleaning out the wound. After the wound was completely clean, Lily waved her wand, closing the wound and Harry leaned back, a bit dazed from the attack.

"Now, Harry, exactly what happened?" prompted Hailey calmly.

"It's just as I told you, an assassin, a mercenary, whatever you want to call him, attacked me out of nowhere, completely unprovoked this time, I might add," explained Harry quickly. "For an old guy, this guy moved pretty damn quick, seemed to use some rather unique attacks. Anyway, he hit me with this Mongolian Death Strike or whatever, and had me down at a distinct disadvantage. Then he just vanished."

"He could have killed you and he just left," repeated Lily.

"So that's a good thing," said Hailey in a reasonable voice. "Right?"

"Well of course if its good, " said Lily quickly. "But it's also very disturbing."

"True, why go to all the trouble of sending an assassin after someone and the assassin just leaves when he could have killed me," replied Harry calmly before adding. "Not that I'm complaining about still being alive."

"Maybe whoever sent this assassin after you, didn't want you dead, at least not by his own hand," suggested Lily calmly. "Someone who wanted the pleasure for killing you all to himself."

"Voldemort," chorused Hailey and Harry in unison.

"None other," said Lily. "That brings up another disturbing detail in his plan. Why would Voldemort abandon his usual opinions? He thinks of anything Muggle to be rubbish after all. So, why send Muggle mercenaries after you?"

"Why indeed," muttered Harry in a thoughtful voice. Maybe Voldemort wanted an accurate picture of his skills from a professional in the Muggle fighting arts but something told Harry that might not be exactly right.

"We may find out all too soon but if Voldemort continues to send mercenaries after you, things could get a bit messy and there could be injuries that even magic can't heal," said Lily sternly.

"So, I suppose I'm to shut myself inside my room and just hide under my bed," answered Harry moodily.

"No, of course not, I'm just telling you to exercise a bit more caution when you go out for a walk," said Lily, looking at Harry sternly, hoping that he would understand. "Don't get yourself in a mess that you can't get yourself out of. Understand?"

"Yes Mum," said Harry in a deflated voice.

"What is the Mongolian Death Strike, anyway Mum?" asked Hailey, breaking the silence.

"Yes, I've never heard of it and I don't think Master Splinter has ever mentioned it in almost ten years worth of lessons," added Harry.

"It's a dangerous but quite rare martial arts strike, that originates in Mongolian," said Lily.

"Funnily enough, I gathered that much from the name of the maneuver," answered Harry calmly.

"Of course, but you see, it takes skill and precision to master such a move and it could go disastrously wrong if someone who didn't have the required talent attempted to hit someone with that move," replied Lily. "The only reason I know about it, is I spent some time in Mongolia during my sixth year when I was an Unspeakable and I saw a diagram detailing the basic technique between the Mongolian Death Strike. Obviously, I'm not a martial arts master, having never had time to learn the art at that, but the diagrams seemed to illustrate the unfortunate possibilities and Harry, you were very lucky to come out with the minimal damage to your right ear."

"Exactly how so?" prompted Harry.

"Well, you could've at the very least became deaf it that ear had that mercenary hit you any harder or he could have knocked your ear completely off with that one maneuver," said Lily darkly, causing Harry's eyes to widen in horror. "And Merlin forbid if you suffered a blow with the Mongolian Death Strike in your neck or chest."

Harry nodded somberly. His mother didn't have to elaborate forward. If he was struck in either his head or chest, they wouldn't be having this conversation right now.

"I strongly suggest you go upstairs and get some rest Harry," said Lily and Harry didn't have any problem with taking that suggestion. He was tired and irritable anyway from getting knocked around by an assassin that he never met in his life. Not to mention the fact that despite his wounds being physically healed, he had some residual soreness that would only go away with time.

Harry tried to ignore the light stinging in his scar as he left his mother and sister downstairs. He pushed his door open before walking over to his bed, collapsing on top of it without bothering to pull the covers over him.

Several thousands of miles and a few time zones away from Harry, Hermione Granger woke with a start at a loud crashing sound from downstairs at her house. Hermione thought she was hearing things but a second loud crash and blood shrieking scream echoed through the downstairs area of her house. The muggleborn girl quickly got to her feet, pulling out her wand and creeping towards her door. Another scream gave Hermione the incentive to quicken her movement , as she wrenched the door open and made her way down the hallway.

"Mum, Dad," muttered Hermione uncertainly, leaning over the railing of the stairs and seeing a flash of green light. Hermione panicked, bolting down the stairs, her wand raised high.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Hermione nearly tripped over a crumpled object. She looked down and gave a horrified yelp.

The crumpled body of Hermione's father laid at the bottom of the stairs dead. Struck down by Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse.

Another scream pierced the air and Hermione leaned around the corner, to see a pair of Death Eaters slumped over her mother, with their wands raised.

"Crucio," chanted one of the Death Eaters savagely and Hermione could not take any more, as her mother's screams echoed through her ears. She quickly whipped out her wand and pointed it towards the Death Eater that was punishing her mother.

"Incendio!" cried Hermione, sending a large wall of fire towards the Death Eater's back. The Death Eater gave a loud, piercing scream and Hermione felt a small vindictive measure of satisfaction as he dropped to the ground.

The other Death Eater turned around. If her mask was off, anyone could have seen a wide grin break out on her face.

"Ah the Mudblood is up to play!" cackled Bellatrix Lestrange. "Ickle little girl thinks she's brave trying to stop the inevitable, saving her Mummy from her mind going snap. Just to think I was going to be nice and smother you in your own bed."

Hermione raised her wand but Bellatrix grabbed Hermione's mother, pulling the weakened woman in front of her.

"You cowardly bitch!" screamed Hermione angrily glaring at Lestrange.

"Hermione, run, save yourself," gasped her mother in a pained voice.

"Hermione, run, save yourself," mimicked Lestrange in a sing song, whiny baby voice before cackling madly and then growing serious. "As if it would matter, I've brought some friends to play as well."

Another seven masked Death Eaters stepped from the shadows, and Hermione looked at them, before backing off from them, with her back towards the stairs.

"REDUCTO!" yelled Hermione, blowing a large hole in the floor, causing the Death Eaters to stagger back, shielding their faces from the flying debris. Hermione bolted upstairs, knowing what she must do. She needed to get to her mirror quickly. As much as she hated to rely on Harry, it might be the only way to save her mother.

Hermione yelled as her legs snapped together halfway upstairs. She looked over her shoulder as Lestrange threw her prey down to the ground like an old piece of rubbish. With every fiber of strength she could muster, Hermione dragger her leg locked body up the stairs, towards her room.

As she pulled herself inside, Hermione spotted Lestrange completely reduce the stairs to dust. Lestrange turned her head downstairs to address her fellow Death Eaters.

"Make sure no one comes up here, until I'm done playing with the Mudblood!" yelled Lestrange. "Dispose of her mother."

Hermione's heart sank, as she wrenched herself into her room, where an owl was waiting for her on the desk inside her room, sitting along with the neat stacks of books. She narrowed her eyes, as it appeared to be the notice Improper Use of Magic office. This was far from the time to be worried about the Statute of Secrecy.

"Colloportus!" yelled Hermione, sealing her door shut, which should buy her about a minute or so. She did the counter charm to the leg locking curse, before pointing towards her desk "Accio mirror!"

The mirror flew off of her desk, and into her hands.

"HARRY!" yelled Hermione frantically in the mirror and the mist swirled in the mirror. The wood on Hermione's door splintered and she could see Bellatrix was breaking to. "Harry, please be there, Death Eaters, please answer, please!"

The door blasted open and Bellatrix Lestrange stood in the doorway, with a sickening grin on her face.

"This is the part where you die, Mudblood!" shrieked Bellatrix, raising her wand, but Hermione's cat, Crookshanks gave a mighty hiss before springing right at Bellatrix's face, knocking her mask off before sinking his claws into her face. "Get off me, you mangy feline!"

Crookshanks hung on, protecting his master, as Bellatrix struggled to point her wand at the cat, so she could blast him off. Hermione threw herself behind her desk, and looked at the mirror.

"Harry!" yelled Hermione and sure enough, the face of her best friend finally appeared in her mirror. "Death Eaters, my house! Dad's dead, Mum's going to be soon if the Death Eaters don't stop."

"Stay put, Hermione," said Harry sternly. "I'm coming."

Hermione nodded slowly, nearly paralyzed. Her face contorted with fear as she heard a loud hiss and a thump on the floor. Another spell sliced her desk in half. With her face severely scratched, Bellatrix Lestrange stood in front of her, her wand pointed towards Hermione.

"Up!" ordered Bellatrix, and Hermione rose, shaking madly as she saw the body of her cat on the floor, ripped in half by Bellatrix and blood splattered along the floor of her room.

Bellatrix waved her wand at Hermione and Hermione's wand shot out of her hand, before landing at Bellatrix's feet. Hermione was too paralyzed in shock to know and the realization sunk in, while she was pretty good when studying out of books, nothing could prepare her for a real life counter with one of Voldemort's most dangerous and highest ranked Death Eaters.

"Mudbloods should not be allowed to play with such dangerous toys," lectured Bellatrix in a faux motherly voice, before stomping on Hermione's wand, snapping it completely in half, thus committing the gravest insult one could towards a magical person.

Hermione edged towards her window instinctively but Bellatrix waved her wand, causing a huge wall of sinister looking black fire to barricade Hermione's window.

"And here I thought all Gryffindors were brave," remarked Bellatrix in a completely serious voice before breaking out into a loud round of giggles and then growing suddenly thoughtful. "Or perhaps leeching of Slytherins has allowed you to pick up some survival instincts after all."

Hermione looked at Bellatrix, wondering where Harry was. She could have sworn with the Portus-Amulet, Harry could transport himself anywhere, no time flat.

"Sonorus," muttered Bellatrix, pointing her wand at Hermione's throat before a wide smile appeared on her face. "CRUCIO!"

Thanks to the Sonorus spell, the Mudblood's screams were multiplied a thousand times, giving Bella a thousand times more pleasure out of torturing her. It was music to her ears.

Harry landed a few miles outside of Hermione's home. Despite, the Portus-Amulet, Harry couldn't appear right in Hermione's house. As he reached forward into putrid smelling air, Harry found that he couldn't move a step further. The Death Eaters apparently had erected a wall around the parameter of the Granger property, preventing any external interference.

Harry quickly waved his wand, making a few calculations mentally. The wards only kept people out.

With a quick pop, a small raven had no problem flying straight through the wards and towards the Granger residence. Spotting down, the raven Animagus spotted two surly looking Death Eaters standing guard outside.

"Bella takes these Mudblood attacks too far sometimes," grumbled one of the Death Eaters, that the raven recognized to be Rodolphus Lestrange. "Just go in and exterminate the vermin I say."

The second Death Eater nodded before looking up.

"That's odd," muttered the Death Eater apprehensively.

"What?" demanded Rodolphus.

"A raven, swooping around here," replied the Death Eater in an unnerved voice. "I wish your old lady would hurry up and just put down the Mudblood, that thing is giving me the creeps."

"Afraid of a little buzzard, Warrington," taunted Rodolphus. "You'll never make it into the Dark Lord's Inner Circle with that attitude, if you're panicking during your first assignment."

"I just wish it was Potter that Bellatrix was torturing in there, that little weasel kicked me off the Quidditch Team," grunted Warrington savagely. "Replaced me with his girlfriend, the little blood traitor bitch."

At those words, the raven dived towards Warrington, sinking its beak right into his mask. The mask ripped in two and Warrington gave a mighty scream as the raven gouged his eyes out. Warrington fell to the ground, a great amount of blood oozing from his eye sockets.

"That's no Animagus," muttered Rodolphus, blasting the Animagus revealing spell at the bird.

The bird's body expanded, before falling to the ground on his feet, revealing the form of Harry Potter.

"Potter!" declared Rodolphus happily before pointing his wand and sending a jagged jet of black light towards Harry, but Harry stepped aside and sent a full body bind at Rodolphus, who dodged it. "Just think, I'll finally outstrip my old battle axe of a wife and be the Dark Lord's right hand man. It's always Bella this and Bella that, now the entire world will know Rodolphus Lestrange as the man who brought Harry Potter to the Dark Lord."

"Don't count your Phoenixes before they hatch, Mr. Bellatrix Lestrange," muttered Harry, which caused Rodolphus to flip out, sending a series of curses towards Harry.

"Stand still you little half blood bastard!" grunted Rodolphus but Harry managed to spin around avoiding another volley of spells.

"I don't have time for this," replied Harry and sending a vanishing charm towards the Lestrange male.

Rodolphus's decision to not block the spell was one he regretted. His nose and mouth vanished from his face, giving him nowhere to draw in breath. His lungs tightened and Rodolphus Lestrange slid to the ground, asphyxiated to death from Harry's rather creative spell work.

A loud scream pierced through the air, causing Harry a slight bit of discomfort in his repaired right ear. Harry blasted the front door off of its hinges, knocking a Death Eater behind it unconscious from the resulting blast.

A group of Death Eaters stood in the hall, there wands held out, pointing towards Harry. Harry felt sickened as he saw the mangled remains of Hermione's mother, her clothes ripped to shreds and her face completely mutilated. Guilt spread to Harry, as he was too late.

The Death Eaters obviously cared nothing about Harry and looked at him with threatening expressions, their wands held in front of them.

"Put your wand down, kid," ordered one of the Death Eaters in a pompous voice but Harry whipped his wand around, sending an unusual pattern of spells at the Death Eaters, causing them to scatter slightly. Harry waved his wand around his head, causing two holographic duplicates to materialize. The duplicates moved in either direction, diverting the Death Eater's attention away from the real Harry Potter. Harry turned back into a raven and flew in the direction of Hermione's screams.

"There's two Potter's now," declared one of the Death Eaters dumbly.

"Split up and follow them," suggested Dolohov calmly. "One of them is real, the other is a blasted Hologram. He did this trick before when the Dark Lord stole the scrolls from Hogwarts."

"Smashing good idea, old bean," declared Goyle in a cheerful voice.

Hermione laid on the floor of her bedroom, her eye's barely open. Lestrange drew her wand across Hermione's forearm, cutting her. Another wave of her wand and Lestrange conjured salt directly inside Hermione's wounds. The pain was completely unbearable, causing Hermione's shrieks to be carried for miles.

"Admit it, Mudblood," declared Bellatrix savagely. "You're scum and I'm superior to you in every way."

Hermione responded by spitting right in Bellatrix's face.

"That was a dumb move," lectured Bellatrix. "Perhaps another lesson in etiquette, vermin. CRUCIO!"

Hermione felt the urge to claw her own eyes out, as she screamed in pain. She began to feel her sanity and her intellect slowly being stripped away from her. It was only a matter of time before Bellatrix Lestrange turned her into a mindless vegetable.

"Harry!" shrieked Hermione, wishing that her best friend, her brother in every way but blood, was standing right beside her, saving her from this horror.

"No Harry Potter to save you this time, Mudblood," declared Bellatrix coldly and at that moment, a raven zipped into Hermione's room, going after Bellatrix Lestrange. Bella sent a spell after the bird, which dodged the curse. "Merlin, Mudblood, how many pets do you have to damn to an early demise?"

The raven dove towards Bellatrix's hand. For a wild moment, Bellatrix thought it was trying to disarm her.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" yelled Bellatrix but the bird managed to dodge the killing curse with expert grace, as if it had that particular spell fired at it before.

Bellatrix blinked and Harry Potter stood in front of her, with a determined look on his face.

"An unregistered Animagus, why Potter I didn't know you had it in you," cackled Bellatrix, before bowing towards him. "Flaunting Ministry law, you might just be a true Slytherin after all. Or you would be if you didn't associate with such vermin."

Bellatrix moved towards Hermione but Harry rushed forward, knocking Bellatrix out of the way with his shoulder

"I killed your husband already tonight Bellatrix, don't test my patience," warned Harry, placing himself between Bellatrix and Hermione.

"Ah, that's no big loss Potter," said Bellatrix happily. "Roddy never could cut it in the bedroom. His wand work left much to be desired."

Bellatrix reared her back, cackling like a madwoman. Her lapse of sanity allowed Harry to blast Bellatrix into a wall. A loud crack and Bellatrix slumped against the wall.

Ignoring Bellatrix, Harry leaned over Hermione, with a worried look.

"Hermione?" asked Harry in a shaky voice.

"I'll live," muttered Hermione in a weakened voice, almost childish voice as blood dripped from her mouth. "What about Mum? Did you save her?"

Harry didn't know how to answer Hermione. He signed before opening his mouth but he felt himself getting blasted directly in the back. Harry flew halfway across the room, landing on the ground with a clatter.

"Never turn your back on an enemy Potter, unless they are dead," lectured Bellatrix. "Surely your Mudblood Mummy must have mentioned that to you."

Harry sent a spell towards Bellatrix but Bellatrix ducked down, before pointing her wand at Hermione.

"I grow tired of this little game Potter," said Bellatrix in a bored voice, yawning. "Let's see how long your Mudblood friend can hold her breath before she is crushed to death."

A set of sinister black cords shot from Bellatrix's wand, wrapping themselves around Hermione's body. Harry's heart sank; Bellatrix had learned another trick from her master, as this was the same method that Voldemort killed his Muggle grandparents.

"HERMIONE DON'T MOVE, DON'T BREATH!" ordered Harry without a second of hesitation as Bellatrix Lestrange removed the fire surrounding the window before throwing herself outside the window to the ground below, cackling madly as she cushioned the ground for her descent.

Harry didn't have time to pursue Bellatrix, as the black cords were contracting around Hermione simply because of her body heat. Quickly, Harry sent a jet of cool water at Hermione, loosening the cords just enough to allow them to be sliced from around Hermione's body. Hermione's eyes were shut, but she was still breathing and there was a pulse, however faint.

Moments after Harry had safely removed the ropes from around his friend, a group of Aurors, led by Rufus Scrimgeour arrived at the stairs.

"Merlin, Harry Potter!" yelled one of the Aurors, pointing at Harry and a few of the Aurors began gawking at his scar.

Harry noticed that Nymphadora Tonks was with the Aurors that had arrived on the scene, and she rolled her eyes at the antics of her fellow Aurors.

"Harry, what happened?" asked Tonks, looking at Hermione's battered body.

"Bellatrix Lestrange happened," replied Harry shortly, causing the young Auror's eyes to widen in horror. Harry turned his attention to Scrimgeour. "Rufus, there were at least eight Death Eaters downstairs."

"They were in the process of retreating when we came here, Harry," replied the Head of the Auror Office. "All but two escaped, and that's not counting the two that were dead."

"Scorched pretty bad that one was," remarked a gruff voice and Harry looked up, to see the legendary Mad-Eye Moody standing there.

"Ah, Moody, I was under the assumption that you didn't approve of the Ministry," declared Auror Dawlish.

"I don't but I couldn't very well stand there and let that scum have free reign against innocent people," answered Moody. "Of course, the Death Eaters had to put up wards."

Harry stepped back. He heard rumors that Moody was close with Dumbledore so he had to be cautious not to let Moody know any more than he already knew.

"We can discuss this later," remarked Harry, pointing towards Hermione. "In case, you couldn't tell, my friend's just barely clinging onto life."

"Healers are on their way Harry," replied Tonks calmly, as she looked out the window. "In fact, they're coming outside. They're going to be able to take her to St. Mungos for treatment."

Harry walked from the room, as the Healers walked up the repaired stairways. If he cared, Harry would have thought the Aurors had repaired the stairs before they came up, but he walked down the stairs. Harry had a feeling something like this might happen, but when it was staring in front of his face, it was pretty disturbing. The Death Eaters went after Hermione simply because she was an easy target and the only magical person in her house, where his other friends were pureblood and better protected. Voldemort could have decided to send his minions after Ginny for the simple fact it was no secret that Harry loved her and would go to pieces if something happened. Yet, Ginny wouldn't have been easy prey, as there were many protective wards around the Burrow, not to mention many capable wizards and one extremely capable witch inside. Ginny's oldest brother, Bill, mentioned to Harry that he had added a few nasty surprises for any Death Eaters that might, based on some of the things he encountered during his time as a curse breaker at Gringotts.

In the end, Voldemort had picked the easiest target to attack and send a message towards Harry. Harry had heard the message loud and clear. He wasn't shocked that Voldemort had struck. Saddened yes, but not shocked. He almost suspected something like this might happen. The only good thing was that Voldemort no doubt intended Hermione to die and could not have foreseen her having a quick way to communicate Harry through the mirrors.

Another pair of Healers was stabilizing the Death Eater that Hermione burned in the battle, under the guise of an Auror, who looked ready to curse the Death Eater if he tried any sudden moves.

Two other Aurors was dragging the Death Eater that Harry had knocked out when he blasted the door off of its hinges.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," said one of the Aurors. "Excellent bit of work knocking this one out."

The Death Eater glared at Harry from behind his mask, before the mask fell to the floor. Harry recognized the Death Eater as his own former fanatical Quidditch Captain, Marcus Flint.

"Now what do you know about You-Know-Who's plans, scumbag!" barked the Auror.

"I know the Dark Lord is planning to exterminate all the Mudbloods, starting with Potter's little friend there," replied Flint in a hoarse voice. "The Dark Lord ain't telling me much else"

Harry considered Flint for a few seconds but something told him that Flint wasn't important enough for Voldemort to tell him anything that the world at large couldn't guess.

"The Dark Lord will restructure the world, and there's nothing you can do, Potter!" taunted Flint. "Granger was first, every Mudblood is doomed to be put down like the animals they are"

Flint had no idea that Hermione barely survived and Harry was not going to be kind enough to educate him on that fact.

"It's obvious this one isn't important enough to know anything," remarked the Auror. "A nice cell in Azkaban should give him plenty of time to think about how he was wrong in joining You-Know-Who."

Harry watched as Flint was dragged away by the Death Eaters. There was little doubt in Harry's mind that Marcus Flint was nothing more than another warm body in Voldemort's plans for domination. The other Death Eater's burns were somewhat healed and he was carried off for questions.

Tonks walked towards Harry and Harry turned to her, his face looking tired and worried.

"Well?" prompted Harry.

"Hermione's been stabilized and taken to St Mungo's," said Tonks somberly. "Bellatrix did quite a number on her and she's unconscious right now."

"Is she going to recover?" asked Harry.

"The Healers didn't say," replied Tonks. "It's a damn good thing you showed up through. The third attack on a muggleborn today, the Ministry is in disarray and this is the only one where we managed to bring Death Eaters in. Scrimgeour was raging on all of us today, saying that if he could, he'd replace the lot of is with an army of Harry Potter clones."

"I'm flattered," said Harry flatly before waving a privacy barrier between himself in Tonks. "We need to get all of the muggleborns of Great Britain to a safe location where Voldemort can't get them."

"All of them!" exclaimed Tonks in a shocked voice.

"Yes, Tonks, all of them," repeated Harry. "The others in the resistance group need to be contacted and this needs to be done underneath the nose of the Ministry, Voldemort, and Dumbledore."

"Why not get Scrimgeour to help, you're on first name terms now it looks like it?" asked Tonks in a confused voice.

"There are leaks in the Ministry, if Voldemort knows what I'm up to before it's done, my goose will be cooked," said Harry. "It's not the most insane idea that I considered, I'll tell that much."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what was your other idea, Harry?" asked Tonks.

"Get all the Muggles in Britain to safety, along with all of the muggleborns," replied Harry dully. "Imagine the explaining that I'd have to do for that one. So I'm going to settle for just the muggleborns and their immediate families."

Harry took a deep breath.

"I'm technically supposed to be in my room resting, Mum will freak out if she finds out that I went after Death Eaters after what happened to me today," said Harry. "Tonks, I need you to contact the others and inform them of the plan. Execute it as quickly as you can and report back to me when it's successful."

"Harry I…" started Tonks but Harry just raised his hand.

"Get them to one of the safe houses that is set up for the evacuation should Voldemort take over," said Harry firmly. "I hope you don't disappoint me, Nymphadora."

It was a measure of how much Tonks respected Harry that she did not curse him halfway across the country for calling her by her first name.

"I need to be going, good luck, tell everyone to be careful," said Harry and he walked to the room, before pressing his Portus-Amulet, vanishing into mid air and back to his room to try and get some rest.

"Be careful he says," muttered Tonks, shaking her head in irritation. "After he goes after a dozen Death Eaters, without any back up at all and then lectures me about being careful."

Still, Tonks set out to do exactly what the sixteen year old wizard had asked her to do. It was a sad indictment of the magical world when a teenager was the best hope to vanquish He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. A very capable sixteen year old, but that just proved the whispers that the Ministry was damaged beyond full repair from the administrations of Malfoy and Fudge and would not withstand a full on assault.

Albus Dumbledore bent over a battered diary with the words "T.M. Riddle" barely visible on the side. Over Dumbledore's shoulder, there was a cabinet that contained the Ravenclaw pensieve that he once snuck out of Lestrange Manor. The other important item in the Headmaster's cabinet was a box of very important memories that he ripped from Lily Potter's mind, before he blocked the rest of her memory and left her to die. Unfortunately, Lily still lived, despite with ten percent of her memories gone. The ten percent that was crucial to divining the truth about everything. Truth that Dumbledore could ill afford to let the world to know. Dumbledore kept those memories safely in his office as a reminder to himself to be more discreet and cover all of his tracks from events in his past.

The Headmaster examined the diary closely, as Severus Snape sat across from him in a wooden chair, with a battered expression on his face.

"Headmaster, I really think the diary has been destroyed beyond all repair," injected Snape.

"No, just the bond connection the girl and Tom," muttered Dumbledore. "The sixteen year old spirit of Lord Voldemort is still alive and well in this diary and if I can modify it property, Voldemort will dance like a puppet on a string."

Snape said nothing. Dumbledore's failure to mold Harry Potter into his tool had obviously sent the old man into the deep end of the insanity pool. Trying to control the Dark Lord was his latest idea and somehow, Dumbledore had got the notion in his head that if he made some alterations to the diary, he would have the Dark Lord jammed under his thumb.

"Severus, it seems to me that you are under a great amount of strain maintaining both your loyalty to myself and towards Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore thoughtfully.

"It's not much a problem, Headmaster," replied Snape.

"Yet, there is a problem and you have been helpful for the past sixteen years," replied Dumbledore. "I could release you from our agreement, from the Unbreakable Vow. After all, I am confident that I no longer require your services after this coming year at Hogwarts."

"There is a way to release me from the Vow?" asked Snape.

"If it is mutually agreed by both individuals partaking in the Vow, then yes there is, Severus," answered Dumbledore. "It may sting for a few minutes, but it is safe to safe your freedom may be worth it. All I ask is but one thing of you, Severus."

"Name it Headmaster," said Snape, a hopeful look spreading across his face at only being obligated to serve one megalomaniac lunatic.

"Kill Lily Potter," responded Dumbledore curtly causing a sour look to appear on Snape's face. "I trust this will not be an issue, Severus."

"No, Headmaster, it's not," answered Snape in an emotionless tone of voice.


	3. Chapter 3: Enter the Squib Inquisition

**Chapter Three: Enter the Squib Inquisition:**

It was a slow work day at the Fleet Bank in New York City. The employees at the bank had little business today and it didn't seem to be about to pick up anytime soon. A guard lazily leaned up against the front entrance, his gun to his side.

In the blink of an eye, a loud blast from the side caused the silence within the bank. The guard pointed his gun towards the large hole that was blasted in the side of the bank where a blond haired man with a bitter expression on his face led the way. This man was the disgraced squib older brother of Lucius Malfoy, Luther. Behind him were a hard faced man with light brown hair and a stringy woman with darker hair. These two were squibs as well and they all looked at the employees of the bank with utter contempt. They walked forward into the bank, as the guard pointed his gun towards them.

"Stand back!" warned the guard but Luther Malfoy just picked up his walking stick in a rather bored voice, before the top popped open, revealing a stun gun. Luther stuck the stun gun in the guard's stomach before he could manage to shoot the squib. The guard crumpled to the ground, in a heap, prompting the other bank employees to issue loud shrieks of terror.

"I suggest none of you try and stop us, either," drawled Luther in a bored voice, as his two associates aimed Triceraton laser blasters at the other employees at the bank. "Or, you might find yourself quickly becoming nothing but a pile of dust and blood on the floor."

Luther turned to the bank teller, who looked as if she feared for her life.

"You, I wish to make a withdrawal," ordered Luther Malfoy, pointing his walking stick with the concealed stun gun at the girl. "Seven Thousand, Seven Hundred, Seventy Seven Dollars, and Seventy Seven cents and I want the exact change."

The girl backed off, wondering why someone would steal such a peculiar amount of money but the stun gun caused her not to ask too many questions.

"Boss, begging your pardon, but why steal that exact amount?" asked the hard faced man in a dull tone of voice.

"Seven is the most powerfully magical number and we need not discuss anything else of our plans in front of the Muggles," replied Luther in a disdainful voice, as if it contaminated him to be in the same air with the other bank employees.

The teller reappeared in front of the homicidal squib, with a shaky hand as she passed the money in to Luther Malfoy.

"Let's go," replied Luther swiftly. "Before any police or Turtles or scar-faced twits for that matter cotton on to the fact we're here."

Luther Malfoy and his two squib associates walked from the bank, just as quickly as they had came, leaving the employees completely baffled as to their intentions and why they stole the dollar amount they did.

In the Potter Residence in New York City, Harry Potter laid with his head in his arms on the floor, with a very reserved expression on his face, with his communications mirror out in front of him. It had been two days since Hermione was attacked by Bellatrix Lestrange and her parents were killed. Harry's friend now laid in St. Mungos, barely stable and no one could tell whether she would make a full recover from her ordeal. The operation to move all the muggleborns to a safe house had been managed, but unfortunately, there were a few more families of muggleborn students that Harry hadn't reached before it was too late. The Death Eaters had gotten to them and maimed them, before leaving them dead in their houses. Still, the fact that Harry managed to reach at least seventy percent in time was a minor victory, Voldemort would likely to be in a rage once he found out what Harry had done, but since Harry suspected that Voldemort might already want to kill him, Harry had no problems blatantly defying Voldemort one more time.

Harry looked up to see his younger sister Hailey walk towards him. She frowned as she saw Harry down on the floor.

"Slow day Harry," remarked Hailey.

"Yes, my scar isn't really stinging now and all the muggleborns in Britain are moved to a temporarily safe location," remarked Harry calmly. "Plus, I'm not allowed outside, because another mercenary could get the drop on me."

Harry pointed towards his bandaged right ear instinctively.

"Mum's working in the attic on something, I'm not sure what, she's got the door warded," replied Hailey calmly. "There's something that tells me that she doesn't want to be disturbed."

"Not, that you didn't try of course," remarked Harry in a casual tone of voice and Hailey just grinned in agreement before reaching over to grab the remote control. "Uh, Hailey, do you think it's a good idea to turn that on?"

"Now, Harry, I know that too much television rots your brain, but I think my brain is already sufficiently rotted," declared Hailey.

"No, it's just that every time I look at the television, I see something bad that wands me to blast the television into pieces," answered Harry. "Most likely involving the Shredder."

"Still," said Hailey, as she pointed the remote towards the television and flipped in on, causing the image of a very bewildered newscaster appear on the screens.

"This just in, our top story, the Fleet Bank has been robbed," declared the newscaster. "The suspects walked from the bank with seven thousand, seven hundred, seventy seven dollars, and seventy seven cents from the bank."

The curious amount caused Harry to look at the television.

"Witnesses have stated that the top suspect is a blond haired, blue eyed male, in his early fifties," continued the newscaster. "His two associates were a woman with dark stringy hair that appeared to be in her forties and a heavy set male in his late fifties, with brown hair with slight hints of graying. The lead suspect is said to carry an expensive walking stick, with a stun gun concealed in the top."

"Luther Malfoy," muttered Harry darkly, remembering his two previous encounters with the villainous squib. The first time, Harry was nearly strung up and shot with Ginny, Don, and Raph by Luther Malfoy's goons. As much as Harry hated to admit it, if it had not been for the untimely interference of the mysterious, if a bit incompetent, Black Phantom, he might not be alive to this day.

The second encounter was just as perilous. Luther Malfoy wanted to shrink the city of New York and ransom it to the American Wizarding Government in exchange for receiving magical powers. Despite such a thing being impossible, Malfoy managed to steal a working device, a positronic dematerializer. In character with his luck, Harry had an unfortunate encounter with the device and was shrunk to nearly microscopic levels. Harry's mother had managed to figure out a way to rewire the device and when Malfoy had blasted Harry with the device with the intentions of shrinking him into nonexistence, Harry returned to normal. After a quick battle involving Harry, Leo, Don, Mikey, and Raph against Luther Malfoy and his henchmen, Malfoy's gang was subdued and sent to prison. Unfortunately, Luther Malfoy managed to escape before Harry and the Turtles could subdue him. Harry didn't think any Malfoy would be much of a problem without a group of goons to hide behind, but apparently the squib had acquired some new friends and had gone on a fresh crime spree.

"Harry, did you notice something peculiar about the numbers in the amount that was stolen?" asked Hailey, breaking the silence.

"Yes, all sevens," replied Harry calmly, nodding slowly. "Since seven is the most powerfully magical number, it would appeal to a squib who is bitter with his lack of magic."

"So, now what?" asked Hailey calmly.

"I think the authorities can handle Luther Malfoy and whatever cronies he's scrapped together," answered Harry. "With Voldemort back, I really can't concern myself with wayward squibs. It would be something else if he was stealing a piece of rare and dangerous technology that could put the city in peril, but bank robberies just seem as if they are a bit below my notice."

Hailey nodded reluctantly. Something about Luther Malfoy switching from technological thefts to bank robberies seemed to quite off. She understood why Harry felt as if it wasn't a big enough issue to concern him. However, Hailey also realized that it wouldn't hurt to look a bit closer to see of Luther Malfoy had some more nefarious intentions in mind. A quick change of outfit would be in order and Hailey would be able shadow Malfoy and his cronies under the guise of the Black Phantom.

Now, if only Hailey could find a way to slip out without Harry becoming the wiser.

"I just remembered, I've had a killer essay to do for Snape, for Potions," said Hailey quickly as she edged away from her brother. "I'm going to get that done, so I can get it out of the way."

Harry just nodded slowly, barely acknowledging Hailey and keeping his eye on the communication mirror. He seemed to still be a bit battered from his encounter with that mercenary a couple of days ago and not to mention, he seemed to be a bit on the edge after Hermione was attacked by Death Eaters.

Hailey moved from her room to go upstairs and change. She had a hunch where Malfoy might strike next.

At an abandoned magic shop on the outskirts of the city, quite the ironic hideout for a gang of squibs, Luther Malfoy stood over his money, while his two squib cohorts from the bank robbery looked on with anxious looks.

"We are halfway from acquiring the funds that we need for our plan," announced Malfoy. "Throughout the ages, squibs have been shunned by society, as second class citizens, lower than Mudbloods in fact. Harry Potter, the so called hero of the magical world has not said one word in our favor. He flaunts his magical powers, but not once has he lifted a wand to assist a squib."

Luther Malfoy slammed his fist down on the table, gaining the full attention of his two cohorts.

"Harry Potter, champion of Mudbloods, blood traitors, and freaks alike everywhere, does not speak out for the true oppressed magical population, squibs," concluded Luther Malfoy. "Fortunately, I have found a way to gain the magic that is ours by divine right! Nine out of every ten squibs were descended by the oldest pureblood families and they had to stand by to watch disgusting Mudbloods get magical power instead of them. This changes right now. We will take our magic from the filthy Mudbloods."

His two squib associates seemed to be giving him a disbelieving look, so Luther decided to elaborate on this point.

"I've done extensive and quite painstaking research about the elusive Y'Liantian Magical Empire," started Luther Malfoy slowly. "Or Atlantis as it is most commonly known to the common Muggle subsection of the population. The Y'Liantians forged power crystals of great magnitude that gave the possessor undreamed of power. One such power is the ability to steal magic. The reason of course why we have Muggles, as the world was once composed of one hundred percent magical people. Thanks the tendency of the Y'Liantians to abuse the crystals, they sucked the magic dry out of other long lost magical cultures in the Western Hemisphere before turning the crystals on themselves and very nearly wiping themselves out of existence thousands upon thousands of years ago, with the newly created Muggles fleeing to Europe in shame and thus this land would not be rediscovered for quite some time"

"Malfoy, even if those crystals existed, they would've burned themselves out a long time ago," said the female slowly.

"An incorrect assumption, Dempsey," drawled Luther Malfoy in a bored voice. "The power crystals were created in such a way they were never burned out. True, many became buried so deep under the earth that they are not salvageable, but there are hints of a few old Y"Liantian strongholds still existing and I know of one such stronghold that has a steady supply of power crystals at hand. It's just our luck that stronghold is right in the heart of New York City."

"So, why don't we go there, and grab them crystals down," grunted the hard faced man.

"Because, Rosier, I don't know exactly where it could be but I have a contact on is willing to part with a map leading directly to this Y'Liantian stronghold," declared Malfoy in a bored voice. "For a price of course."

"Then, why waste time with bank robberies when we can just track down this bloke and steal it," challenged Rosier.

"Oh yes, that would be wise, let Harry Potter gain a hint of what we are up to," replied Luther Malfoy sarcastically. "If we purchase the map legitimately, then there would be no need for a police report to be filed and thus, no need for the jackals at the news media to get involved. If I know Potter, he'll be keeping a close eye on the news. Not because of me, mind you, but because of the simple fact that Lord Voldemort is back and I don't need to chance him getting an idea of what I'm up to. Is that understood?"

Dempsey and Rosier nodded slowly, as Luther Malfoy looked content with their compliance.

"In time, Harry Potter will be crushed," concluded Luther in a bored voice. "Then, I'll get revenge on my oh so perfect little brother, Lucius and make him pay for every disgrace I've suffered tenfold. Then, we'll go after the biggest one of them all and bring down the Dark Lord, putting a more suitable pureblood ruler in his place. Lord Voldemort will not expect the Squib Inquisition!"

Luther Malfoy paused for dramatic effect as his two associates exchanged a look if they were unsure about if their boss was exactly the sanest of people.

"The other should return by this evening, they are casing the other part of our scheme right now," drawled Malfoy calmly. "Then, we'll meet my informant. He requested that we meet deep under ground for the transaction, don't really know or care why. Doesn't really matter, as the crate of Triceraton laser blasters we managed to smuggle right from under Oroku Saki's nose will do the job against any turtles that we meet or anything else for that matter."

The squibs laughed in agreement, as Luther Malfoy prepared to pull off the job of the century with help of his Squib Inquisition.

At twilight, outside of Judith Ripka Jewelers on 777 Madison Avenue, in New York City, ten men and one woman, armed with Triceraton Laser Blasters were led by Luther Malfoy, who had an orb device in his hand. The squib placed the orb on the lock on the door. A bright blue flash illuminated the building, before the door effortlessly swung open.

"It is quite fortunate that the Triceratons left so much of this alien technology lying around, it's so easy to swipe a few crates worth without noticing," declared Luther Malfoy.

"Boss, how do you know anyone hasn't figured out that you have been stealing a few crates here and there from that Saki character?" asked one of the squibs.

"Because, you dolt, the Foot would be down my neck if he had a word of it," declared Luther shortly. "Now, inside quickly and bring the scale. Our contact wishes to have seven hundred and seventy seven pounds of diamonds and not a pound less."

"What's the deal with the sevens?" asked another squib dully.

"Magic, no doubt that dunderhead's way of torturing us with what we don't have," interjected Rosier but Malfoy neither confirmed or denied this theory, as the squibs began pilfering diamonds from the jewelry case, placing them in a large, reinforced bag on the scale, causing the amount on the scale began to increase.

"Shopping hours are over gentlemen," said a cool, quiet voice and the squibs looked up, to see the smiling form of Hailey Potter, under the careful disguise of the Black Phantom.

"The Black Phantom!" hissed Luther Malfoy angrily. "It's normally against pureblood etiquette to slap around a girl, but in your case, I shall ignore that fact. Get her my Squib Inquisition!"

The members of the Squib Inquisition spun around, grabbing at Hailey, who dodged the assault, before grabbing one of the squibs and flipping him to the ground. She rolled over with a laser blast from the Triceraton made weapon and kicked her attacker in the face. Two of the squibs grabbed her from behind but Hailey manages to twist out of the attack, before blasting them right in the jaw with a pair of hard punches. The attackers cautiously closed in, not wanting to blow up the diamonds in their haste to take out the Black Phantom.

Luther Malfoy sighed, it appeared that he would have to do this himself, as he saw the Black Phantom entangled two of his Squib Inquisition members in a chain. The top of the walking stick was popped as the Black Phantom knocked a Triceraton blaster from the hand of Dempsey, before grabbing the woman by the hair and flinging her to the ground. Luther crouched down behind the case as the Black Phantom rushed forward. Seizing his chance, Luther managed to trip up the Phantom with the walking stick. She gave a surprised yelp, and two of the Squib Inquisition members grabbed her by the arms, holding her as Luther Malfoy raised the walking stick, stun gun concealed inside before jabbing the Black Phantom roughly in the side, knocking her out. The Phantom laid on her back, her eyes slightly crossed and her tongue hanging limply from her mouth, stunned from the attack.

Malfoy casually freed the two tangled Squib Inquisition members, before one of them walked over to the Black Phantom, preparing to rip her mask.

A walking stick down across his hand via Malfoy quickly put to rest any of those notions.

"But, boss, don't you want to see whose under that hood?" whined the squib, as a grey haired, brown eyed middle aged goon to his side seemed to look curious as well.

"I could care less," replied Malfoy coldly. "We need to get out of here before someone infinitely more dangerous than her comes after us."

Luther Malfoy looked from the Black Phantom to an empty case on wheels that was large enough for one person to squeeze into her.

"Put her in the case and lock it," replied Luther Malfoy calmly to two of the squibs, and the squibs obeyed, hoisting the Black Phantom up, still stunned from the encounter with the stun gun concealed in Malfoy's walking stick, before depositing her in the case. "Finish gathering the rest of the diamonds."

The others nodded as the case was shut and locked. A few more diamonds were placed on the bag on the scale and the amount raised just slightly above seven hundred and seventy seven pounds, prompting the squibs to rifle through the bag and remove a few of the larger diamonds, before replacing them with smaller ones. After a tedious few seconds of experimenting, the Squib Inquisition had deposited the correct amount into the bag.

"Now bring the glass case with the Black Phantom outside, we can roll her down the street, right into the jagged rocks below that unfinished bridge below, leaving a nice splatter" ordered Luther Malfoy. "Then, we will be able to purchase the map and we will finally have the magic that is ours."

The hair of the squib that seemed interested in unmasking the Black Phantom, quickly turned from straight grey to an unruly black and his eyes turned from brown to a vivid color of green, shrinking a few inches and several signs of aging vanishing as well, revealing the unsmiling form of Harry Potter.

"POTTER!" yelled Luther Malfoy in horror, as he stepped back, at the sight on one Harry Potter. "But how…"

"Normally, I wouldn't be bothered with the likes of you, but I decided to go for a walk and saw a couple of suspicious characters hanging around, looking at this jewelry store all day," remarked Harry. "Metamorphmagus talents handled a nice little disguise to blend in, so I can see what exactly you were up to. Another hair brained scheme to give yourself artificial magical powers, I see."

"It won't be hair brained Potter, once I've gotten my hands on the Y'Liantian power crystals!" cried Luther Malfoy causing Harry to look at him with a curious expression. "You won't live to see it through. Squib Inquisition take him…"

"You really thought I would have come alone," remarked Harry and from the shadows came Leo, Don, Raph, and Mikey, who had their weapons raised.

"Blast the ceiling!" ordered Luther Malfoy and sure enough, a pair of Triceraton laser blasters shot upwards, causing a pile of rubble to surround the Turtles and Harry in one fell swoop. "Let's get out of here. They don't have enough to fully deduce our plan anyway."

Raph, Leo, Mikey, Don, and Harry sliced their way towards the rubble, but the squibs managed to get to the door, with Luther rolling the glass case containing the Black Phantom down the street before pulling it back and pushing it down an incline, causing the glass case to wheel down towards an unfinished bridge area. Luther climbed into the getaway van as the Turtles and Harry managed to fight their way from the jewelry store, unknowing of the Black Phantom's predicament. Don pulled out a shuriken, equipped with a tracking device, managing to fling it into the van. The tracking device struck to the van as it drove away.

"There, now we'll be able to track it through the equipment in the Battle Shell," muttered Don.

"And then we can put a hurting on those Squib Inquisition clowns," replied Raph, who looked ready for a fight, as they moved towards the Battle Shell, parked a side street away from their encounter with the Squib Inquisition.

Hailey screamed in terror, trying to raise her wand, but there didn't seem to be enough room to do the proper wand movements inside the tightened glass case. Looking around, as the glass case, Hailey managed to find her salvation, a jagged piece of diamond left behind from the heist. She put her hands on the diamond, before cracking the edge across the glass case, shattering the top and not a second too soon. Hailey threw herself from the case, just a second before it plummeted over the edge, crumbling into dust on the jagged rocks below. The girl placed a hand over her chest, breathing a sigh of relief at escaping her near brush with death. Hailey admired her brother even more for fighting the forces of evil day in, day out, for over six years, because it wasn't exactly the easiest of tasks.

Inside the Battle Shell, Don leaned over the tracking device, with Raph, Leo, and Harry looking around closely, Mikey driving in the front.

"So, any guess where this thing is going," injected Leo.

"It's gone west for a few minutes but now it's stopped," replied Don in a confused voice. "He's seemed to stop at the entrance of an abandoned underground cavern on the outside of town."

"I take it this ain't a spelunking mission," said Raph.

"Far from it," replied Harry slowly. "Malfoy mentioned that he is going to steal Y'Liantian power crystals, apparently he intends to take magic and implant it with him and his squib cronies."

"Y'Liantian power crystals!" exclaimed the four Turtles in horrified voices.

"Okay, did I miss something?" asked Harry in a confused voice.

"Harry, you know those crystals that we found in the lair when we moved in," explained Don slowly.

"You mean the one's that I took to Hogwarts to see if I can find out anything about them and actually, I think I still have a couple in the bottom of my trunk," replied Harry slowly.

"Well, those crystals belonged to a race of creepazoids called the Y'Liantians," said Raph in a disgusted voice. "They're pretty damn powerful, almost like magic in fact come to think of it."

"Wait a minute, Y'Liantians," muttered Harry slowly before remembering something he briefly came by in an obscure history of magic text in the library of Salazar Slytherin. "They're the reason why there are Muggles."

"Uh, come again, Harry," remarked Mikey.

"All Muggles on earth are descendants from the magical races that the Y'Liantians turned their crystals on and thus blocked their access to the use of magic," explained Harry slowly. "That also explains why there are muggleborn witches and wizards, as there was a point where the world was populated with one hundred percent magical people, so eventually the magic genes, came back up again, given the right circumstances. In fact, there are a few theories that magic predated humanity and will be around long after humanity has perished."

"Could it be used for the transference of magic from one human to another?" asked Leo.

"Might be possible, but I'm not quite sure how," replied Harry. "I do know that the crystals are very dangerous in the wrong hands and it is imperative that we don't let Luther Malfoy and his Squib Inquisition get their hands on them."

"But, all the crystals that we had in the lair are gone, except for the ones you have" replied Mikey in a confused voice. "And the only other crystals were the ones in the Underground City and that place has been fried to a crisp underneath lava."

"That wouldn't be the same Underground city that you got lost in for five months during my second year?" asked Harry.

"The very same, Harry," answered Don as the Battle Shell reached the end of a quite rickety path.

"This is the end of the line, gentlemen and Raph," replied Mikey calmly, looking over the dashboard, causing Raph to shoot him a nasty glare. "It looks like our squib friend decided to take a trip down below."

"The caverns underneath stretch for miles, there is no way we can find Malfoy in time, before he gets his hands on the crystals," said Leo with despair.

"Can't you just use your Portus-Amulet to get us down there, Harry?" asked Raph.

"No can do, the caverns are too deep below the ground for any kind of magical transportation," replied Harry. "The pressure from above ground to that deep under ground magical travel could be enough to kill us all."

"Still, the Portus-Amulet can get us to the lair and we can use the Turtle Tunneler to drill beneath the earth, to head Malfoy off at the pass," said Don.

"It just might work," replied Leo and they gathered around, as Harry activated the Portus-Amulet, pulling the Turtles and Harry from the outskirts of town, towards the lair.

Deep underground, beneath the sewers, Luther Malfoy shivered and his fellow Squib Inquisition members seemed to have similar feelings of discomfort. Malfoy cursed his contact's insistence to have a meeting in this near sub zero environment.

"Ah, welcome Mr. Malfoy," replied a calm voice, and Luther Malfoy looked up towards the group of black cloaked wizards, their faces obscured.

"Okay, Black, I have what you wanted, now hand over the map," drawled Malfoy in a bored voice.

"Of course, we at the Black Wand always keep our word," replied Regulus Black in a bored tone of voice, as he handed over the map, as Malfoy and his goons handed over the money and the bag of diamonds. "May you have a magical journey to the Y'Liantian power crystals."

Just as Luther Malfoy moved to the side, the cavern wall to the side broke open and a large green turtle shaped vehicle with a drill on the end appeared in the underground caverns. Harry and the Turtles escaped from the vehicle, as Regulus and his fellow Black Wand members stepped back casually.

"Let's go, we have what we have came for," yelled Luther Malfoy in an excited voice, and he followed his squib inquisition members up a steep incline, leading towards a mine car that they would journey to the outpost that contained the Y'Liantian power crystals. The final two squibs raised their Triceraton Blasters and blasted the top of the cavern entrance, caving it in.

"I really wish they wouldn't have done that, I spent months getting this place exactly the way I wanted it," answered Regulus calmly, bringing the attention of the Turtles and Harry towards him.

"Black, what in the hell are you doing down here?" asked Raph angrily.

"And more importantly, why are you cutting a deal with Luther Malfoy?" demanded Leo.

"An underground resistance removement against the Dark Lord does take capital and if a fool hearty squib wishes to be naïve enough to buy a map to an abandoned Y'Liantian outpost that has been cleaned out of all of the power crystals, well, that's no skin off my nose," replied Regulus calmly.

"Abandoned…Y'Liantian…" stammered Don.

"YOU IDIOT, YOU SOLD HIM A MAP TO THE LAIR!" screamed Mikey angrily, twirling his nunchucks, with full intent to bash Regulus's skull in, as Raph gave his second youngest brother an approving look.

"Really, I didn't quite know where it led, I just managed to sneak it out of the Department of Mysteries a time ago," said Regulus in a bored tone of voice, buffing his fingernails. "Merlin, if I would have known that place had the aquarium you four lived in, I would have stopped in for a cup of tea sometime."

Regulus gave a dry chuckle, as all four Turtles looked ready to pummel the wizard turned vampire to a pulp.

"What did you think I was on your side on all matters?" asked Regulus. "No, I'm only on your side in matters that concern the fall of the Dark Lord and information on his Horcruxes. Otherwise, it's open season as far as I'm concerned, especially when there's profit to be made."

"You infernal blood sucking piece of…." Started Raph, but Harry pointed his wand upwards, causing a loud banging movement to echo throughout the cavern.

"In case, you haven't noticed, a group of squibs are heading straight towards the lair," hissed Harry in a sharp voice, causing looks of realization to appear on the faces of his four brothers.

"To the Turtle Tunneler!" ordered Leo as the four mutant turtles and Harry scrambled into the Turtle Tunneler. There was an ever dwindling chance that they might be able to head the Squib Inquisition off before they reached the lair.

Don backed the Tunneler up before plunging it through the rock walls, drilling upwards towards the lair, as fast as they could manage. They were glad that Master Splinter was out for the day; otherwise he would have to face an unexpectedly perilous situation. While their sensei could handle things pretty well, the Squib Inquisition was pretty dangerous with those Triceraton laser blasters.

Elsewhere, the mine car was being piloted down the New York City subway systems just a mile or so away from the lair. Luther Malfoy grew more and more excited as they

"Make a right here," barked Malfoy and sure enough the mine car made a sharp right, aiming directly towards an area of the sewer system.

The Squib Inquisition's mine car's journey ended right in front of a stone wall. On the other end of the stone wall was in fact, the infamous Turtle lair, even through Malfoy was ignorant of this fact at the moment.

"Dead end, Malfoy," grunted Rosier but Luther Malfoy seemed rather bored.

"No, the entrance is just obscured," answered Malfoy in a bored tone of voice. "We'll just going to have to create our own entrance. Blast it open."

Three Triceraton Laser Blasters raised and a large hole was blasted in the side wall. The Squib Inquisition exited the mine cart and climbed through the hole.

On the other side, Luther Malfoy looked up in surprise, before his surprise quickly turned to glee.

"This place has signs of habitation but there can only be one logical explanation as to who resides down here!" exclaimed Malfoy in an excited voice. "Do you not see it, my fellow squibs?"

The squibs shrugged in confusion, so Malfoy decided to let them in on the secret.

"The dream of every criminal in this flea bitten city, we have found it!" cried Malfoy. "The place where those miserable, slimy, Turtles live, staring us right in the face. The Y'Liantian power crystals can come later."

"Boss, won't those Turtles be arriving soon to try and head us off?" asked Dempsey, a worried expression on her face.

"They're too late, but we can use this to our advantage," replied Malfoy. "Revenge is the order of the day and as soon as the Turtles and for that matter, Harry Potter, arrive, we can blow them sky high. Quickly, hide and have your blasters at the ready."

The Squib Inquisition scattered in different directions, before hiding in different directions. Malfoy removed a Triceraton Laser Blaster from a holster underneath his shirt and stepped back, his stun gun/walking stick combination in the other hand.

The Turtle Tunneler burrowed from the ground, in a sewer system just less than a mile from the lair. The five ninjas climbed cautiously from the Tunneler before rushing as fast as they could go towards the lair. They stopped after a brisk jaunt, horrified at the sight of the mine car just outside of the lair and the large hole blown right in the wall on the west side, giving a suitable entry point.

"We're too late," replied Mikey in a horrified voice.

"Now, they might have found the lair, but there is a chance that might not have deduced who lives there," answered Leo in a reasonable voice.

"So, there's still a chance that we can knock them around and prevent them from finding out," added Raph, with a determined look on his face.

"Let's go before they have a chance to find out," suggested Harry and with that, Raph, Don, Leo, and Mikey followed Harry into the hole, climbing the lair, with their weapons drawn. Harry had his wand out as well as an extra precaution.

"Welcome home, Potter, Turtles," declared Malfoy jovially with the Triceraton Laser Blaster pointing. "Just to think, I've come here for the Y'Liantian power crystals and I find out it is the home to the biggest thorns in my side."

"Malfoy, five against one, you have an even bigger ego than your brother and nephew," said Harry, as he pointed his wand towards Malfoy but Malfoy just smirked.

"Potter, if you're going to hex me, I suggest you make that shot count, because that's the only one you'll have before you get blown straight to hell," drawled Malfoy and Harry joined the others in looking up. They were surrounded, outnumbered, with at least ten laser blasters pointed towards them.

"Damn, Malfoy lured us right into a trap," muttered Raph angrily. "Now what Leo?"

"I'm don't know, they are so spread out, there is no way we can rush them all at once without getting injured," replied Leo in a low voice.

"In other words, we're screwed," suggested Mikey.

"Bingo," confirmed Leo dully.

"Drop your weapons or we will open fire," ordered Luther Malfoy as the Triceraton Blasters became armed around our heroes. "And that goes for your wand as well, Potter, it will look nice in my hand once I drain your power with the crystals. You have ten seconds."

"At the moment of truth, drop your weapons and duck," muttered Harry, causing his brothers to shoot him strange looks. "Just do it."

Weapons clattered to the ground, Raph's ever so reluctantly, giving Harry a look that basically said: "I hope I know what you're doing, bro." Harry faked dropping his wand, before quickly whipping around, sending a circle of bright, nearly blinding light around the area of the lair with his wand.

"KILL THEM!" ordered Malfoy but as the Squib Inquisition pressed the triggers to fire at the Turtles and Harry, nothing happened.

"Something's wrong, boss, these things aren't firing," grunted a squib inquisition member.

"I made my one shot count, Malfoy," interjected Harry calmly. "It counted so well that it fried all your little weapons."

"Damn you Potter, you cheated!" yelled Luther Malfoy angrily, stomping up and down, throwing a bit of a childish tantrum.

"No, I just made the odds a bit more even," answered Harry, as the others picked up their weapons. "End of the line for you, Malfoy, now give yourself up."

"Potter, I don't think you understand the situation," replied Luther Malfoy, as he pushed over a wooden rack of old swords, and the others climbed down to help themselves to a sword. "We know where your little hidey-hole is and soon, once we rip this place apart for the Y'Liantian power crystals, the entire criminal underworld will know of its location. Right now, we'll settle for stamping you and those infernal turtles out of existence. Wipe them out, Squib Inquisition!"

The Squib Inquisition rushed forward, swinging their swords towards the Turtles and Harry, who scattered in every direction. Leo leaped up, slicing the sword of one of the squibs in half, before grabbing the magically impaired goon by the neck and flinging him to the ground. Another squib went after Leo, but Raph managed to leap up, before flinging his Sais at the squib, knocking him off balance.

Don was pushed back by the swords of two his attackers scrapping against his Bo Staff. Harry saved the day, shouldering one of the squibs, before grabbing him by the arm and flipping him to the ground. A knee to the head, knocked the squib loopy as Don raised his Bo staff and cracked it right against the jaw of his attacker, knocking him down to the floor.

Mikey leapt up, swinging his nunchucks, cracking a pair of squibs in the face, knocking them down. Another squib rushed the Turtle but Mikey managed to avoid the attack before swinging his weapon madly. Another crack and the squib flew to the ground, with a large thud.

Harry blocked a swing with Malfoy's walking stick with his sword, before knocking him backwards. The Boy-Who-Lived kicked Malfoy right in the face but before he could attack him further, Malfoy was saved. One of Malfoy's goons grabbed him from behind but Harry spun around, flinging the squib over the couch. Harry sprang up onto the couch and knocked the squib down with a double kick, snapping both of his feet off of the attacker's face.

Two squibs lifted a wooden practice dummy up, rushing Leo but Leo rushed forward, swinging his swords, slicing the practice dummy in half. One of the magically impaired individuals was elbowed in the face compliments of Leo, while Raph leapt into the air, throwing his Sais right at the back of the other squib. The squib hit the ground, in shock from that blow from Raph.

One of the squibs attempted to make a break for it, but before he could, Don threw his Bo staff, causing to spin in mid air, before knocking out the squib with one shot. Harry and Mikey stood back to back, as Rosier and Dempsey attempted to take them out, before springing up. Harry took out Rosier while Mikey knocked Dempsey for loop.

The center of the lair was scattered with half conscious members of the Squib Inquisition, as Harry raised their wand, looking over his shoulder at his brothers.

"Memory modification and then take them to the surface and deposit them in an alley, they won't remember anything about the location of lair," muttered Harry calmly, with Leo, Mikey, Raph, and Don, before Harry advanced on the first member of the Squib Inquisition. "Obliviate!"

The squib's eyes clicked out of focus and he looked up with a dreamy expression, not realizing where he was. Several more cries of "Obliviate" from Harry and in about a minute, the knowledge of the location of the lair was wiped from the memories of all but one of the members of the Squib Inquisition, before the Turtles dragged them one by one from the lair, to do has Harry requested of them.

Malfoy rose to his feet, with the map and walking stick clutched in his left hand, his fingers scrapping around the door. He heard Potter modifying the memories of his fellow squibs and he had to find a way out of this place before Potter got him to. The sinister squib looked up, his eyes on the door, before inadvertently brushing across a button.

A door in the wall sprang open, revealing the elevator that went from the lair to the warehouse that the Battle Shell was normally stored in. Harry's eyes darted to the side as Malfoy seemed to realize that he had found a way out. Malfoy quickly threw himself in the elevator, before pressing a button to shut it and begin the descent upwards, just as the Turtles returned, horrified looks on their face.

Quickly, Harry summoned a remote control device from a table in the lair. He pressed a large red button in the center of the device.

"Malfoy's gotten away again, he found his way to the elevator," said Raph darkly.

"Oh, he might have found the elevator, but I don't think he quite made it to the warehouse," replied Harry, as he pressed a green button on the device that was marked, "turbo", '

A second of silence, as a loud scream of terror was heard from inside the elevator and the unmistakable sound of an elevator rising up and down at the speed of light. The Turtles looked at Harry, before breaking into a loud round of laughter.

"Wicked, Harry!" exclaimed Mikey in an approving voice.

"Yeah, you showed that sneaking squib," answered Raph and after a minute, Harry flicked a small blue switch.

The elevator cracked open and a very ill looking Luther Malfoy stumbling out, leaning on his walking stick. Malfoy looked queasy before throwing up right on the lair floor. Harry walked forward, holding his wand up but Malfoy had the presence of mind to pop the top of his cane and jab the stun gun towards Harry.

A shield appeared in front of Harry and blasted the electricity from the stun gun back, giving Malfoy a magically amplified shock. Malfoy fell face first into his own sick. Harry let the shield charm down, casually kicking Malfoy's walking stick to the side before raising his wand. The squib weakly looked up, vomit hanging off of his pale face.

"Obliviate," muttered Harry, as all knowledge of the location of the lair vanished from the mind of Luther Malfoy. Harry picked up the map, before causing it magically burst it into flames. The ashes dropped to the floor and Harry waved his wand, vanishing the ashes and thus the only known map leading towards the lair.

Harry turned to his brothers, who looked at him with grateful explanations.

"Let's take Malfoy up and leave him with the others, for the police," ordered Leo, as Mikey and Raph gave him mock salutes, before they grabbed an arm of Malfoy and dragged him to the surface.

"Let's go scumbag," said Raph.

"Merry Christmas," replied Malfoy dreamily, the effects of the Memory Charm still evident.

"He should regain his criminal tendencies in a few hours once the after effects of the Memory Charm wear off," explained Harry. "But by then, it will be too late. I've got to run but one more thing before I leave…"

Harry waved his wand, causing the large hole in the lair to mend itself. With that hole closed, Harry decided to take his leave, before something else happened.

Ollivander looked over the nearly deserted streets of Diagon Alley, as he cataloged his collection of wands from within his shop. In a few weeks, the Alley would be crowded with Hogwarts students, many of them first years who were about to purchase their first wand. Until the time the Hogwarts letters were delivered, it seemed that most witches and wizards were not taking their chances and go out in public any more than they had to with the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

The area around Ollivander's shop suddenly became uncharacteristically cold for this time of year. Ollivander looked up and a trio of Dementors was floating close to his shop, in the nearly deserted Diagon Alley. Ollivander stepped back slowly, preparing to contact the Ministry of Magic, because the official word was that the Dementors had joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The wizened wand maker moved quickly towards the Floo Connection but in the back room, he saw a quartet of Death Eaters, who were promptly joined by another two Dementors who effortlessly floated through the window.

The next arrival caused Ollivander to do a double take. It was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the flesh, who had his wand on him.

"Good afternoon Mr. Ollivander," hissed Voldemort in a venomously voice, fiddling with a crystal pendant tied around his neck, that had a small bit of fog circling it not unlike the type that was created when Dementors were breading.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle," declared Ollivander in a forced casual voice. "Yew wand, thirteen and a half inches, Phoenix feather core, perfect wand for the Dark Arts, if I'm not mistaken."

"You are correct, Ollivander," answered Voldemort in a low hiss.

"Ah yes, a very powerful wand, I hope it is treating you well," replied Ollivander nervously.

"Quite well but I did not come here for the small talk," replied Voldemort. "I am here for a different wand."

"But, forgive me for asking, but why request a different wand if yours is working perfectly?" asked Ollivander, with the air of having morbid curiosity.

"This is no mere wand I seek, Ollivander," said Voldemort. "This is a wand of the greatest wizard who ever lived, one that I had been searching for ever since I left Hogwarts. Unfortunately, all my efforts have been in vain, until right now when my dearly incarnated friend Lucius Malfoy found out through the Ministry that you purchased the legendary wand I seek from the Japanese Ministry of Magic, who were holding it unknowing to Lord Voldemort."

Voldemort paused, his slit like red eyes fixed upon Ollivander's face.

"I seek the wand of Salazar Slytherin," hissed Voldemort. "It is my birthright to possess that wand so I suggest you hand it over and I might spare your pathetic life."

Ollivander should have known that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would have come after the wand but he couldn't have given the wand to Voldemort anyway, as it was in the possession of one Lily Potter.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to kill me, because I sold that wand two years ago," replied Ollivander.

"Who dares think they have a right to my birthright?" asked Voldemort angrily, as the Dementors grew restless to his side.

"The buyer has requested that I'm not to tell anyone about the purchase," replied Ollivander before hastily adding, "The wand of Salazar Slytherin wouldn't be a fit for someone of your temperament anyway Mr. Riddle."

"I am the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin, so the wand would very well fit me," hissed Voldemort. "Do you dare contradict Lord Voldemort?"

"No of course not, but the wand does have a very interesting quirk that you must know about," said Ollivander quickly. "The wand can only be used…"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" yelled Voldemort angrily and a jet of green light flew from his wand, striking Ollivander dead. The wand maker slumped to the ground and knew no more.

"My Lord, shouldn't you have forced the owner of the wand out of him?" asked a Death Eater nervously.

"If the buyer made him take an oath, he would have died before the name passed his lips, so it is a lost cause," replied Voldemort with coldly, before turning to his Death Eaters. "Take all the wands to be distributed to those that I deem worthy, destroy the rest and burn this place straight to the ground.

The Death Eaters scrambled off to do their Master's bidding.

Meanwhile, Voldemort was enraged. Someone had dared to purchase his birthright, the ancient wand of Salazar Slytherin. The wand was capable of feats of power that Voldemort had yet to begin to even dream of and was completely indestructible. Voldemort would not need a single Death Eater if he had the wand in his hand, he could bend the will of the entire Magical World single handily. Whoever had the wand now was completely naïve of the power that possessed and once Voldemort tracked the owner of the wand, they would pay and the wand would be in the rightful hands of Lord Voldemort.


	4. Chapter 4: Savanti Romero

**Chapter Four: Savanti Romero**

In a far away realm, the Seventy Ninth Dimension of Null Time to be exact, an irritated young woman was dusting the man shelves in the castle of her boss, the master of time himself, Lord Simultaneous. The woman's name was Renet, and she was the current apprentice time Mistress for Simultaneous. One might assume it was because of her skills and knowledge in the field of temporal mechanics was why she was chosen for this powerful position.

Those people would be wrong. The only reason she got the job, is because applicants were few and far between after the horrific accidents that the past apprentices suffered by dangerous individuals seeking a very powerful artifact that was located in the Seventy Ninth Dimension of Null Time. Renet was given the position because of being basically the only one who was remotely competent.

Of course, the standards of being remotely competent was greatly lowered by Simultaneous recently, and this lead to the apprentice's punishment of having to dust the entire castle in the Seventy Ninth Dimension of Null Time from top to bottom, every single day, for the next six weeks.

"I can't believe this, I mean all I did was reverse the evolution on a planet of giant, mutant worms, and I get six weeks of dusting," whined Renet. "That is like so totally harsh. This place will take like forever to dust. Not fair!"

Renet walked off, muttering in an irritated matter underneath her breath, as she continued to dust the many shelves in the castle. After a few moments of dusting that never seemed to end for the apprentice, she reached a greenish looking crystal ball on a dusty looking table. Renet spent a few seconds dusting around the crystal ball, before pausing and looking at the crystal ball with a sign of curiosity etched upon her face.

"Ohhh, the Orb of Hindsight," said Renet in a ditsy voice, looking at the crystal ball. "I wonder if there's anything good on it."

Renet picked up the Orb of Hindsight, giving it a light shake to clear the greenish fog circling around it before a clear and defined image began to slowly appear on it.

The image was from the year fourteen ninety two, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. School was out of session at the moment, so this fact alone made Hogwarts a perfectly acceptable and viable hiding place for an extremely evil demon sorcerer. The sorcerer was known as Savanti Romero and he had once resided in the seventy ninth dimension of null time, before being sent to fifteenth century Europe. Savanti wasn't a pleasant sight to look at the say the very least. Very dry and very dead looking brownish skin, that had a lingering putrid smell, with white jagged horns and sharp teeth, cloaked in red, with horse shaped hooves for feet. He currently sat in a winged wooden chair in an unused, forgotten classroom at Hogwarts, with an ill tempered expression on his face. To his side rested his familiar, a very large red dragon, equally ill tempered as its master, perhaps more so with an expression etched on the beast's face as if it was forced to serve the demon sorcerer.

"The Lord of Time may have banished by to this prison of the past, but I still have power!" declared Savanti in a dangerous voice and his familiar growled in an ill-tempered matter by his side. "I will bring the Time Sceptre here with the ritual of summoning and power beyond those known by mere mortals shall be mine."

Back in the Seventy Ninth Dimension of Null Time, Renet looked absolutely horrified at the events on the Orb of Hindsight. Not because this demon sorcerer was plotting nefarious deeds but the simple fact of his ugly and quite horrifying appearance disgusted Renet greatly.

"Eww, like ick, disgusting," said Renet, cringing in horror, picking up the Orb of Hindsight and attempting to get a different image. "Stupid, Orb of Hindsight, nothing ever good on this blasted thing."

Greenish fog appeared in the Orb of Hindsight and the picture of Fourteen Ninety Two Hogwarts began to slowly fade away to the rooftops of Nineteen Ninety Six in New York City. On the rooftops, Renet watched the forms of Hailey Potter, Harry Potter, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael moving around on the rooftop. The orb slowly began to emit sounds of laughter, as Renet watched a water balloon fly and smack Mikey right in the face, causing him to go down as Hailey ducked out of sight, laughing madly at Mikey's discomfort, with the other Turtles looking highly amused and Harry just sitting on a ledge out of the way with a serious look on his face, saying something to his sister that the orb couldn't quite pick up. Hailey nodded her head as Renet backed off in the castle in the seventy ninth dimension of Null Time.

"That's a little better, it looks like they're having fun," said Renet in a big of an envious voice, as she looked at all of the dusting she still had to do in the castle. "A lot more fun than I'm going to have for the next six weeks."

Renet hung her head in sadness, before turning and viewing an object that appeared to be an hour glass mounted on shiny foot and a half long metallic rod. In reality, it was one of the most powerful and perhaps the most dangerous magical artifact in all of the known universes and perhaps in many of the unknown ones as well.

"Oohh, it's like the Time Sceptre," cooed Renet, looking at the object, as it reflected a seemingly innocent looking bluish glow into her eyes. "Containing the sacred sands of time. I forgot it was here!"

Something that only happened once in a long way was about to take place. An idea was began to slowly form in Renet's head.

"Wait a minute, this Time Sceptre can like so totally move someone forward in time," said Renet. "So, Lord Simultaneous says I was grounded for six cycles so if I use the Time Sceptre to move myself ahead six cycles, I'll be like so totally and absolutely done and stuff. Sweet!"

Renet moved closer to the Time Sceptre before reaching forward to grab it. Her fingers clasped around it and picked it up. At that moment, a flashing red light filled the main castle in the Seventy Ninth Dimension of Null Time, with a loud ear splitting siren echoing throughout the structure.

"RENET!" bellowed the thunderous voice of Lord Simultaneous, echoing throughout the castle.

"Oh, I'm like so busted!" cried Renet, as she still had the Time Sceptre clutched in her hands and the large silver head of Lord Simultaneous appeared in front of her, causing Renet to scream in horror.

"Return what you have stolen!" ordered Simultaneous in a thunderous tone of voice.

"Oh man, I got to get out of here!" said Renet in a panicky voice, looking at the Time Sceptre. "Sceptre, get me out of here, now!"

"Destination?" prompted the Time Sceptre.

"I don't know, like how about…" said Renet, looking over at the Orb of Hindsight that still had the images of the Turtles and the Potter children on it. "How about there…er I mean then..with them..oh now I'm getting a headache. JUST DO SOMETHING!"

The Time Sceptre came to life, engulfing Renet in a blue light before she disappeared with a pop before Simultaneous could do anything. Simultaneous gave a loud, anguished scream, at the Time Sceptre being taken out of his sight to who knows when.

Back in New York, the four Turtles were soaking wet with broken water balloons scattered on the rooftop. Harry was sitting on the ledge, his ear completely healed from the assassin assault of a couple of weeks ago.

"She couldn't have gotten far," muttered Raph in an irritated voice.

"Please do explain what the point of this is Harry," said Don as a water balloon whizzed seemingly out of nowhere and crashed in the back of his head, as Hailey peaked out from behind a wall grinning.

"The point is I'm teaching my sister stealth based attacks and you four just happened to be the most convenient live targets I could find on such short notice and water balloons are a lot less dangerous than daggers or shuriken," said Harry in a patient voice. "Plus, I'm not about to be pelted with water balloons endlessly."

Leo spun around as a water balloon went towards him. He attempted to slice it in half with his katana but it whizzed to the side and smashed Leo right in the face knocking the turtle backwards.

"C'mon magically enchanted water balloons," said Leo in an agitated voice, as water dripped down his face. "I think you're missing the point of the exercise, Hailey."

"Pathetic, you can fight foot ninjas, aliens, and Merlin knows only knows what else, and you can't dodge a simple water balloon pelted at you by a fourteen year old girl with only a year of ninjitsu training," said Hailey, ducking out from behind a wall, sticking her tongue out, causing Raph and Mikey to pick up a water balloon and go after Hailey.

"Not if you've been bewitching them to avoid our attacks with magic," said Raph in an agitated voice.

"Yeah, that's cheating!" said Mikey incredulously, and the water balloons managed to float out of the hands of the two Turtles and thus the balloons smashed into their faces, splashing water in their faces.

"But remember, as I'm sure Master Splinter has driven into your head like Harry has done approximately seven hundred and eight three times, a true warrior uses anything he or she can to gain an advantage," said Hailey, as she darted out in the open, with a water balloon at the ready for the next attack.

"A true warrior also prepares for a wandless, silent leg locking jinx, used by her own brother," said Harry calmly and in a blink of an eye, Hailey's legs snapped shut and she fell to the ground, her legs unable to be contained.

"Harry!" yelled Hailey in an agitated tone of voice. "I thought you were on my side."

"You'll thank me in the long run, and I suggest you use the counter course in about the next five seconds," said Harry shortly, as the four Turtles stood over their sister grinning, with water balloons in their hands, as Hailey attempted to reach for her wand that had flew out of her hand in the confusion.

Before the Turtles could get their revenge, a swirling blue vortex appeared in the sky above them and the screaming figure of Renet flew from the sky, crashing right on top of all four Turtles, causing them to scatter on the ground. Hailey managed to grab her wand, and undo the leg locking curse that Harry had put on her.

Harry leapt down for his ledge, his wand at the ready, on the off chance this was another assassin sent to attack him.

"Well that wasn't fun!" whined Renet, scrunching up her nose as she pressed down on Raph's skull, causing the hot tempered terrapin to wince in agony. "I mean, that really like hurt my hiney."

"Well excuse me, but it's not like my skull's having a picnic!" exclaimed Raph in an agitated voice causing Renet to yelp in surprise and leap off the top of the pile, allowing the four Turtles to awkwardly get to their feet. Harry relaxed his wand, something told him that if this girl was an assassin, she was a rather inept one and Harry didn't have too much to worry about.

"Oh, I'm like so totally sorry, are you guys like alright?" asked Renet, as the Turtles, Harry, and Hailey turned to properly face her.

"Let me guess, you're not from around here," said Mikey casually.

"Well duh," declared Renet, rolling her eyes in a degrading fashion. "I'm from the Seventy Ninth Dimension of Null Time. Like obviously!"

"Uh, right, obviously," said Don deciding that the best course of action would be to humor the girl.

"So exactly who are you anyway?" demanded Harry in a calm, even tone of voice.

"Oh, right, totally sorry, I'm like so completely bad at introductions," said Renet, waving the Time Sceptre around carelessly. "Hi, I'm Renet."

Introductions were made and Hailey decided to voice something that she had been wondering ever since Renet had popped from the sky.

"Exactly what is that thing?" asked Hailey in a quizzical voice, pointing towards the Time Sceptre.

"Oh, this, it's the Time Sceptre, it brought me here," explained Renet calmly.

"So, exactly why did you pop out from wherever and land here?" asked Mikey.

"Because I was bored," said Renet. "And you were all on the Orb of Hindsight and you looked like you were having fun."

"The Orb of Hindsight?" prompted Mikey.

"Oh, it's a place where eggs happen," remarked Renet.

"Wait a minute, eggs?" asked Leo. "You mean like omelets."

"No!" exclaimed Renet in an incredulous voice. "E.g.s, or more commonly known as Events of Great Significance. Sometimes it's like a bummer, because people are about to be like horribly destroyed and stuff but you seem okay and stuff."

"Horribly destroyed?" demanded Raph and at that moment, five sets of eyes seemed to move towards the direction of young Harry James Potter.

"What?" asked Harry calmly, before he closed his eyes, something was not right. "Actually, I do sense a presence that is about to pop up right about now."

"RENET!" yelled a thunderous voice as if on cue and the silvery floating head of Lord Simultaneous materialized in mid air, deciding Renet to scream in terror and hide behind the Turtles, Harry, and Hailey.

"What in the bloody hell is that thing?" asked Hailey in an irritated voice.

"It's like Lord Simultaneous, my boss, he's found me, I'm so dead!" yelled Renet in horror.

"Insolent brat, prepare for a punishment far worse than anything you've ever faced in your life!" thundered Simultaneous.

"Do something, he's going to kill me!" whined Renet.

The Turtles exchanged looks with Hailey and Harry both wondering what they had done to deserve this. After nodding, they decided to help the apprentice time mistress.

"Punish this, chrome dome!" yelled Raph angrily and he flung his Sais towards Simultaneous's head.

A bolt of silver light shot out of the eyes of Simultaneous, engulfing the Sais and rewinding their movement in the timeline, causing them to land back into Raph's hands, causing him to stagger back half of a step.

"Okay that didn't work too well," said Raph.

"We've got to bail," said Renet in a panicky voice, before holding the Time Sceptre up. "Sceptre, get us out of here now!"

"Now wait a…" started Harry, but he was drowned out by the Sceptre.

"Destination?" questioned the Sceptre.

"Anywhere, anytime, just do it!" yelled Renet, and a bolt of blue light engulfed from the Time Sceptre, pulling the Turtles, Harry, Hailey, and Renet into the vortex as Simultaneous looked agitated at barely missing regaining the Time Sceptre.

About a minute later, a vortex opened in the sky above a graveyard just outside the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, causing Renet, the Turtles, Hailey, and Harry to fall to the ground. Leo, Mikey, Don, Raph, Hailey, and Renet landed in a heap, while Harry managed to set his legs and land on his feet swiftly, tapping his foot impatiently and waiting for Raph, Leo, Don, Mikey, Renet, and Hailey to get to their feet.

In the castle, a pleased look appeared on Savanti's face as he looked down.

"My spell has worked, the Time Sceptre is near!" declared Savanti.

"You know Renet, for an Apprentice Time Mistress, you really, really, need to work on your aim," said Mikey in an irritated voice, as he pulled himself up, with the others following rising to their feet shortly.

"Well, the scene looks familiar," said Hailey calmly.

"Yeah, Hogwarts, but I don't think I've ever been here," replied Harry, looking around the graveyard with a bit of an apprehensive look on his face. "What I want to know is exactly when this is and why did that Time Sceptre thing send us here?"

"Just a second, let me check," muttered Renet, as the Time Sceptre began to hum. "Fourteen Ninety Two, give or take a year or so. As for exactly why we were sent here, I don't know."

"Well, the sooner we get out of here, the better, there's something about his area of the school that seems to be very unsettling," said Harry. "I mean, who puts a graveyard this close to a school of magical children."

"The same person who puts a basilisk underneath the school as a security measure and just happens to be our ancestor Harry," replied Hailey. "Salazar Slytherin apparently wanted this graveyard put here, as a memorial for famous witches and wizards who attended Hogwarts."

"Exactly how do you know this, Hailey?" asked Mikey curiously.

"Says so on the plaque," said Hailey calmly, pointing to a very dusty plaque on the stone wall.

"Oh well that would be one way of finding out," said Mikey nodding his head slowly. "I try to avoid literature at all costs, unless it is comic books of course."

"I don't think it's on the Marauder's Map through, of course, it might have been destroyed or hidden over the years," said Harry, looking around at the graveyard.

Savanti Romero looked down at the six individuals that had gone alone with the ride with the Apprentice Time Mistress. He would have to dispose of them so his path to the Time Sceptre was clear.

Red light emitted from Savanti's fingers, as he pointed his right hand towards the graveyard

"Dark Warriors arise and do my bidding!" chanted Savanti, his eyes rolling into the back his head creepily, as a heavy quantity of powerful dark magic flowed towards the graveyard. "ARISE!"

Renet, The Turtles, Harry, and Hailey looked around in surprise, as the ground beneath them began to rumble, and pale hands pushed out of the ground.

"Now what?" asked Raph and about fifteen deadly Inferi rose from the ground, reaching towards The Turtles, Harry, and Hailey. The undead minions had little skin barely wrapped around blackened bones and blank eye sockets with maggots crawling around their eyes. Yellowish, putrid fluid dripped from their mouth, as they reached towards the Turtles.

Renet had a look as if she was a deer caught in the headlights, before shaking her head and looking at the Time Sceptre.

"Do something, already!" yelled Renet, looking at the Time Sceptre and with a small pop, protective armor appeared over the Turtles and the Potter siblings.

"Wicked, an extra shell!" declared Mikey, as the Inferi approached them, one grabbing Mikey around the throat, worms poking out of its mouth, yellowish rotting teeth threatening to chew into Mikey.

Two Inferi grabbed Leo, but Leo managed to drop down, spin around, and slice his swords into the chests of the Inferi, slicing the undead warriors cleanly in half. The bottom half of the Inferi ambled around, with worms and maggots squirming around their body. Don swung his Bo staff and cracked the bottom halves of the Inferi right in the legs.

"Hang on, I know how to deal with these things, stand back," said Harry, calmly, pulling his wand out and preparing to shoot fire, but not even a spark emitted from Harry's wand. Harry looked at his wand as Raph jammed his Sai into the throat of one of the Inferi, causing a hole to rip into his throat. "INCENDIO!"

Still nothing, not even a spark appeared from Harry's wand. Harry just shrugged his shoulder and sprung up, kicking one of the undead right in the chest. The Inferius dropped to the ground and a large amount of worms erupted from the ground, wrapping around the Inferius, yanking it back deep into the earth.

An Inferius grabbed Hailey by the throat, but she picked up a jagged rock and sliced its arm off. Hailey yanked the arm and ducked around, hiding behind a grave stone, before tossing the arm, maggots and all towards a couple of Inferi, striking them in the chest and causing them to land on the ground. Worms erupted from the ground once again, yanking them back to where they came from.

"Once they hit the ground, they stay down," yelled Raph, as he watched another Inferius that he punched in the chest be dragged straight down by the worms. "They're worm food!"

"No!" yelled Savanti in an anguished voice from the castle. "My spell isn't strong enough, the ground is reclaiming my Dark Warriors."

More combat, as Renet was in a one sided argument with the Time Sceptre, blissfully ignorant to the life and death struggles between the Turtles, Hailey, and Harry and the Inferi.

"Come on, could you like do something useful, and like get us out of here!" yelled Renet angrily at the Time Sceptre, but the Sceptre remaining unmoving as the sounds of combat grew louder off to the side and another Inferi was swallowed by the ground. Renet turned to the Turtles, Hailey, and Harry with an agitated frown on her face. "Could you guys be a little bit quieter? I can't concentrate!"

Renet continued to look at the Time Sceptre as an Inferius reached for her head, but Mikey knocked it out of the way, swinging his nunchucks, cracking the evil undead minion in the face.

"Cheap piece of temporal junk!" screamed Renet loudly, as another Inferius clattered to the ground, before getting sucked right back into the ground. "One minute it works, the next minute it doesn't. I don't think it's me, is it?"

From high up, Savanti removed the chain that tethered his dragon familiar to the wall, turning it around, preparing to take a more hands on approach to getting his claws on the Time Sceptre. The demon sorcerer mounted the dragon and yanked on the chain around its neck, before the dragon gave an irritated growl and flapped its wings, flying towards the scenes of battle.

The remaining four Inferi grabbed Leo, holding the Turtle.

"Hold the creature, feast upon his flesh!" growled one of the Inferi, as they stood above Leo, but Don, Raph, and Harry rushed over, knocking the Inferi towards the ground. They gave a loud, anguished growl, as the worms wrapped around them before they were yanked back underneath the earth.

All remained quite for the briefest of seconds, but a loud scream caused Raph, Leo, Don, Mikey, Hailey, and Harry to spin around, as they saw a large dragon dive from the sky, with the cackling form of Savanti Romero on the back. The dragon swooped down, allowing Savanti to scoop up Renet and more importantly the Time Sceptre.

"At last, the Time Sceptre is mine!" yelled Savanti triumphantly as Renet screamed in terror as the dragon began to fly back towards Hogwarts.

The dragon ascended to the sky, as the Turtles, Hailey, and Harry waved their arms frantically, causing the beast to spin around and begin to dive towards them, growling angrily.

"What are you doing?" demanded Savanti, pulling back on the dragon's neck, before steering it back in the other direction. "Let's go, I have what I have what I've come for. Back to the castle, you foolish beast!"

The dragon gave an anguished scream, as Savanti sent a dark magic shock towards it and it gave the Turtles, Harry, and Hailey one last futile look before flying back towards the school.

"Well, I suppose we have to save her, otherwise we won't have a way to get home," said Hailey desperately, as the others nodded grimly.

"Why does the really weird stuff always happen to us?" snapped Mikey in an incredulous voice. "I mean we're just minding our own business, not bothering anyone at all, when wham, that time lady falls from the sky right on top of us! Now we got to go up there and fight that creepy guy and his psychotic pet that looked like it wanted to eat us! It's just not fair!"

Silence for a moment as Mikey began to breathe heavily.

"You done?" prompted Raph.

"Yeah, now let's go save Renet," said Mikey cheerfully and they moved towards the castle.

In the unused classroom, in a forgotten part of Hogwarts, Savanti waved the Time Sceptre, with Renet tied to a chair. The Time Sceptre engulfed a stool in blue light, as it time warped into a tree, before further time warping back into an acorn. The acorn dropped in Savanti's hand and he tossed it up and down a couple of times before allowing it to drop to the ground. Another wave of the Time Sceptre changed it back into a stool.

"How did you do that?" asked Renet. "I could barely get it to work. I mean, I managed some armor earlier, but I think that was an accident."

Savanti ignored the foolish girl, turning his back on her, before looking out the window on the off chance of intruders would come calling.

"Uh, excuse me, do I know you!" exclaimed Renet in a grating voice. "I mean, you do kind of look kind of familiar and like ugly too. No offense, but you really should do something with your skin. You…"

"Silence!" growled Savanti, his eyes flashing with malice. "I cannot begin to speculate how Lord Simultaneous manages to put up with you. However, I will gladly do him a favor of putting him out of that particular misery when I end his life."

Before Renet could say anything, Savanti elaborated on his statement.

"I was your master who put me in this horrific form and then banished me to this accursed place," declared Savanti in an agitated voice and his dragon, once again chained to the wall began to growl in an irritated matter, making all sorts of noise and a considerable amount of racket. Savanti turned his attention to the familiar "What's with you today? You act as if I hadn't fed you or something. Settle down, I command it!"

A large bolt of red light erupted from the air around Savanti, shocking the beast into submission. The dragon's growls began to cease as a content look appeared on the demon sorcerer's face as the beast sunk down.

Outside, the Turtles and the Potter siblings began to climb over the stone wall to the area of the school, dropping down on the grounds. All of them had removed the protective armor, with the exception of Mikey.

"Mikey, you can lose the armor now," said Don shaking his head from side to side.

"I like, it makes me feel all protected and stuff," said Mikey.

"Michelangelo," declared Leo in a commanding voice.

"All right, all right, I'm taking it off," said Mikey. "Jeez, don't get your shell in a bunch."

Savanti looked out the window, at the scene below.

"So, we have a few unexpected guests," declared the demon sorcerer madly. "It would be most rude not to get them the proper welcome."

Savanti looked down, spotting a trio of cockroaches barely visible from his vantage point. With a wave of his hand, the cockroaches expanded to fifty times their normal size, towering over the Turtles, Hailey, and Harry.

"Oh great!" yelled Raph stepping off slightly before pulling out his Sais, as the super sized cockroaches began to go after them, causing Mikey to look up.

"Oh, great, now I take off the armor and look what happens," said Mikey before adding in a sarcastic tone of voice. "Thanks guys, really appreciate that."

Don swung his Bo staff towards one of the cockroaches but it bounced off, causing the brainy terrapin to scuttle towards the ground. Hailey pulled out her wand instinctively.

"DIFFINDO!" yelled Hailey but she couldn't produce even the smallest spark from her wand. The cockroach went after Hailey, but Harry pushed his sister to the side, before stabbing his blade right into the chest of the cockroach, causing it to give an anguished scream of pain.

Harry leapt up, slashing his sword, causing another deep slash from the cockroach. The beast plummeted to the ground, dead.

"Why couldn't we use magic, Harry?" muttered Hailey, as she watched Leo and Don engage into battle against one of the gigantic cockroaches, with Mikey and Raph engaging the other in combat.

"Maybe its something to do with the Time Sceptre's magic nullifying ours as long as we are in a part of the timeline where we technically don't exist," said Harry thoughtfully.

"You're just guessing right," said Hailey.

"Pretty much, yeah," replied Harry.

Leo managed to leap up onto a stone statue with the gigantic cockroach leaping up with him. Two katana blade swipes broke the statue free and caused it to fall forward, squashing the cockroach from the weight of the statue crashing on top of the creature.

Raph leapt up, twirling his Sais, but the cockroach reared its head up before plunging it down, grabbing Raph around the head and swallowing the Turtle whole!

"RAPHAEL!" yelled Don and Mikey in horrified voices, as they rushed over, kicking the beast to the ground, Mikey using his nunchucks to open up the cockroach's mouth, before Don jammed his Bo staff down the cockroach's throat, attempting to get the beast to regurgitate his brother.

In the blink of an eye, a pair of Sais ripped through the cockroach's stomach, causing Raph to pop out of the creature's stomach a second later, completely soaked in blood, but still in one piece.

"Let's go, before anything else happens," commanded Leo.

Back in the castle a short time later, a layer of a stick purple substance began to surround Savanti Romero's dragon familiar.

"Er, hey, Mr. Evil Demon Sorcerer guy, your pet is like adding all weird and stuff," said Renet, before looking over the stick cocoon that had surrounded the beast. "Ewww!"

"In a few moments, I will have the magic I need to make Lord Simultaneous nothing but a mere memory," declared Savanti. "No one can stop the might that is Savanti Romero!"

At that second, the large wooden door leading towards Savanti's makeshift throne room burst open. Savanti's eyes jerked up, resting on the forms of Raph, Don, Mikey, Leo, Hailey, and Harry.

"Did someone call an exterminator because you've got one hell of a bug problem out there?" declared Mikey.

"You dare face off against the might of Savanti Romero!" bellowed the demon sorcerer, turning the Time Sceptre towards the Turtles and the Potter siblings, causing them to scatter in all directions.

"We need to get the Time Sceptre away from him!" declared Leo, barely dodging an attack from Savanti Romero.

"Gee, you think," said Hailey dryly, ducking underneath a bolt of magical energy. "Anyone got any bright ideas on exactly how to do that."

Hailey was knocked off to the side, as Don sprung on with his Bo staff but Savanti shot a bolt of energy from the Time Sceptre, causing Don's weapon to morph into an aged, gnarled piece of wood.

Harry dodged to the side, ducking under Savanti's attack, a bolt of magical energy sailing over the head of the Boy-Who-Lived. Another bolt was barely deflected from striking Harry with his weapon. The energy bounced off, slicing the bindings and freeing Renet.

Savanti swung the Time Sceptre around, sending Harry flying to the side. Hailey rushed to attempt to catch the demon off guard, but a wall of fire erupted from the ground, blocking her from attacking. The fire disappeared as Savanti jammed the Time Sceptre towards the ground, causing the ground to knock Hailey, Leo, and Harry off of balance.

Raph and Mikey leapt up, swinging their weapons, attempting to get the drop on Savanti. A quick pop caused Savanti to vanish in mid air with a pop. The heads of the two Turtles clonked together and Savanti reappeared, landing firmly on his feet, before blasting Don, Mikey, and Raph backwards!

"Foolish creatures, you waste my time and test my patience!" declared Savanti dangerously as Leo rushed forward clanging his swords against the Time Sceptre. "I have vengeance to seek, and a universe to conquer."

"Not if we have anything to say about it," said Leo in a defiant voice.

"Ah, but you don't reptile," said Savanti, stepping back, before blasting Leo cleanly backwards.

Harry and Hailey made a mad dash for the Time Sceptre, dodging underneath a blast of light, before Harry grabbed the magical artifact in his hand. Savanti jerked up, before singing Harry's hands with the Time Sceptre! Harry winced, nursing his burnt fingers and in the blink of an eye, Savanti fell to the ground, the Time Sceptre rolling towards the side.

Harry, Hailey, and the four turtles looked up to see Renet standing over Savanti, with Don's Bo staff nearly broken in half, only hanging on by a splinter. While Savanti had his full attention on Harry, it seemed as if Renet had the presence of mind to take advantage of the situation and surprise the demon with a one in a million shot, knocking him cold.

"Hey, nice swing!" declared Raph in an approving voice.

"Yeah, that was pretty good," said Harry begrudgingly, feeling that if he hadn't been clinging onto the Time Sceptre and distracted Savanti, the demon would have blasted the girl into a million tiny fragments.

Renet moved forward, to grab the Time Sceptre, but a clawed hand popped out of the cocoon, reaching forward and snatching the Time Sceptre. A shadow of a face appeared on the outside of the cocoon.

"Well, the Turtle Brothers!" declared what appeared to be two separate voices in unison from within the cocoon. "And young Lord Slytherin as well, it is so good to see you again."

"Wait a minute, do we know you?" asked Mikey in a confused voice.

"They do seem to know us," said Harry darkly.

"Those voices, they do sound a little familiar too," said Leo straining.

"Yes, listen well to our voices, for it will be the last thing you meddlesome fools will ever hear!" declared the pair of voices, as the cocoon began to fade, revealing some kind of horrifically combined form of two individuals that Harry had last seen being sucked through an interdimensional rift.

"What is that thing?" asked Renet in a disgusted voice.

"It's Drako!" declared Raph.

"And the Daimyo's son!" muttered Leo darkly.

"Merged together by the looks of things," added Don.

Sure enough, the combined form of Drako the dragon and the Daimyo's son, also known as the Ultimate Ninja was a horrific sight to be seen. The Ultimate Ninja's masked face appeared on Drako's neck, with Drako's face located right in the middle of the stomach of this combined entity. Other than those two things, the figure was split symmetrically down the side. Half of the deformed creature had the body of the Ultimate Ninja while half of it had the body of Drako the dragon. This form could only be called Ultimate Drako.

"Wait a minute, I thought you said they were sucked right through a dimensional rift and destroyed!" exclaimed Hailey in an anguished voice.

"Well, that's what we thought, but it appeared the reports of their demise were greatly exaggerated," muttered Harry in an undertone.

"Yes, heartlessly pushed through a rift beyond time and space, where we drifted together for an eternity," declared Ultimate Drako in an accusing voice. "You should remember it very well, shouldn't you? How you Turtles and you Harry Potter, could have saved us, but you decided to let us go, damning us to our fate. For thousands upon thousands of years, many more than you could ever imagine, our bodies began to fuse together, our minds put into endless isolation. Our hatred for you five, along with your rat master, driving us, keeping us alive. This occurred until we learned enough to come here and we suffered since, pretending to serve this wretched fool of a demon sorcerer. The simple reason was because he sought the Time Sceptre, the thing that we needed so we can seek out and destroy you!"

"Oh enough!" yelled Raph, flinging his Sais right at the form of Ultimate Drako but his Sais crumbled to his dust before they left his hand.

"Steel rots, wood crumples, time is a master you will learn to bend to!" declared Ultimate Drako savagely, as the weapons of the others along with Harry and Hailey's wands crumbled to dust. Large Devil's Snare vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around our heroes, and beginning to strangle them to a slow and agonizing death. "And as for flesh, prepare to rot!"

"Don't move!" rasped Harry, attempting vainly to relax before the Devil's snare crept up his chest, wrapping around his neck.

Renet, who Ultimate Drako had not bothered to bind, sprang up, onto the combined entity's back back.

"You icky creep!" lectured Renet angrily, before gripping the Time Sceptre. "Give me that!"

Ultimate Drako flung Renet off, but she had managed to pull the Time Sceptre from his grasp.

"Meddlesome pest of a girl, you're no match for us!" declared Ultimate Drako.

"Like I'm not but I know someone who so totally is," said Renet, as she clutched the Time Sceptre to her chest. "Lord Simultaneous, I'm really, really sorry but we can like use your help right now."

"Well, it's about time!" declared Simultaneous angrily, as his large silvery head appeared in mid air, with the Devil's Snare vines slowly sinking back into the earth, before they could finish strangling Hailey, Harry, Raph, Don, Leo, and Mikey.

Savanti looked up groggily, seeing the floating head of Lord Simultaneous.

"Lord Simultaneous," groaned the demon sorcerer. "Oh this is just not my day."

White smoke erupted from Lord Simultaneous's head before his true form appeared. A three foot tall man cloaked completely in white.

"That's Lord Simultaneous?" asked Leo.

"Man, he should have quit while he was ahead," declared Mikey, chuckling. "Get it!"

"Stifle it Mikey," muttered Raph in an agitated voice.

Simultaneous advanced on Renet, before calmly grabbing the Time Sceptre from her hand.

"Give me that before you hurt yourself or the rest of the universe," declared Simultaneous before adding in a deadpan voice. "Again."

"You may be the Lord of Time, but you cannot…." Started Ultimate Drako but Simultaneous used the Time Sceptre to freeze the horrific entity in stasis.

"Quiet you, you've caused me enough trouble for one eternity," said Simultaneous curtly. "As it is, I'll be sweeping up temporal spillage for the next decade."

Simultaneous turned his attention to the demon sorcerer attempting to make a strategic retreat out the door.

"As for you Savanti, you think banishing you to fifteenth century earth would have been enough, but no!" said Simultaneous. "Say bye-bye Savanti, see you later!"

Simultaneous waved his Time Sceptre at Savanti, causing the demon sorcerer to give an horrified scream as he was sucked even further back in time.

Savanti Romero looked up, as he came face to face with a large dinosaur.

"Oh no, he didn't," declared Savanti, as the realization that he had been transported back all the way to the Cretaceous period.

The dinosaur snorted in Savanti's face, as the demon began to slowly sink right into a pit of tar.

Back in Fourteen Ninety Two Hogwarts, Simultaneous turned his attention towards the still frozen form of Ultimate Drako.

"Now, what to do with you," declared Lord Simultaneous but the stasis spell surrounding Ultimate Drako began to wear off.

"You cannot hold us, you cannot contain us, we are not without power," declared Ultimate Drako as its tail shot forward, wrapping around the Time Sceptre before pulling it from the hand of Lord Simultaneous and into its own hands. "We will return, you haven't seen the last of us!"

Ultimate Drako waved the Time Sceptre and they disappeared into oblivion in the blink of an eye.

"Lord Simultaneous, that creep just stole your Time Sceptre!" cried Renet in a horrified voice.

"Ah, I wouldn't worry too much about it," said Simultaneous, before turning to the Turtles, Harry, and Hailey. "Funny thing the Time Sceptre is. It seems to have a mind of its own. I'm certain that character doesn't quite know what exactly he's in for."

Simultaneous lazily waved his hand, causing the Turtles completely intact weapons to rematerialize from the dust, along with the functional wands of Harry and Hailey. They hastened to pick them up.

"Now, as for you young lady, we need to get back to your punishment," declared Simultaneous and Renet backed up a half of a step, looking horrified. "Six more weeks of dusting!"

"Oh come on, that's like so totally harsh!" whined Renet.

"Okay, seven more weeks," said Simultaneous and Renet began to open her mouth to protest. "Do you want to try for eight, young lady?"

"Of course not, your Excellency," declared Renet in a deflated defeated tone of voice.

"Dusting," said Hailey in very calm tone of voice. Hailey was normally pretty calm and level headed, she did not have quite the temper that her mother or brother had when they were provoked. Still, there could only be so much a girl could take before she flipped out. "WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU MEAN WE WERE DRAGGED ACROSS TIME AND SPACE, RISKING OUR LIVES JUST BECAUSE SOME IMMATURE AIRHEAD DECIDED SHE WANTED TO SKIVE OFF OF HER DUSTING DUTIES!"

"You know it's a good thing she can't do magic right now," muttered Don.

"Yeah, she might go and blow up half of the castle," replied Leo. "Remember when Harry caved him half of a sewer tunnel because he got upset. Of course this was long before he knew he was a wizard."

"Hailey, you really need to calm down," said Harry calmly.

"Calm, calm, this is about as bloody calm as you're going to see me right now!" yelled Hailey. "Honestly…dusting, boredom is no excuse for deviance anyway! I swear, if I ever get dragged across time because of such a petty matter again…"

Hailey trailed off saying a trail of curse words, causing Harry to wonder where his little sister might have picked that particular part of her vocabulary up.

On second thought, it would have been best if he didn't know.

Simultaneous looked as if he wanted the show to continue, but he shook his head, before growing serious.

"It's time to set everything right, I think," declared Simultaneous and he waved his hand, causing our heroes to disappear with a pop.

Back in New York, the Turtles, Hailey, and Harry fell from the sky, right in the same place where they went taken their trip back in time. Harry managed to land on his feet once again, but the others hadn't quite caught onto the secret of landing firmly on their feet from temporal travel. So they landed in a pile, as Harry stepped back, allowing enough room for his five siblings to detangle themselves.

"You know, I'm glad that we're home and everything but why do I always have to end up on the bottom," groaned Mikey.


	5. Chapter 5: The Scarfaced Pacifist

**Chapter Five: The Scarfaced Pacifist.**

Draco Malfoy fell to the ground in an unused bedroom in Malfoy Manor that had been converted into a dueling area. A large cut was opened on his cheek as his aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange stood over him, her wand in her hand and sending another borderline lethal curse towards him, which Draco just barely had the presence of mind to duck.

"Pathetic, to your feet, Draco," said Bellatrix in a cool voice. "You're dueling skills are below average as far as I'm concerned. I've had five year olds put up more of a fight."

Bellatrix shot a bone shattering curse right at Draco's sternum but the Malfoy heir managed to put up a shield charm. The curse struck the shield, shattering it and knocking Draco backwards. Draco pulled himself to his feet and Bellatrix sent a cutting curse right towards Draco's wand hand. Draco screamed, his wand falling from his hand and his hand dripping with a thick stream of blood. The Malfoy heir began to look horrified at the sight of his own blood.

"Can't stomach just a little bit of your own blood, Draco?" taunted Bellatrix. "I'm almost ashamed to call you my nephew. Maybe this should snap you out of that unfortunately habit. CRUCIO!"

Draco Malfoy gave a loud, blood curdling shriek, as his limbs twitched involuntarily. He was seconds away from reaching for his eyes to claw them out, but Bellatrix had released the curse, causing Draco to fall to the ground in discomfort.

"Fight back, pretend that I'm Harry Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix, attempting to egg her nephew on. "He ruined your life and at this rate, he would roll over you in a duel in seconds flat if you put up this pathetic performance. Come on Draco, think of your father, as pathetic as he might be, left in Azkaban thanks to Potter!"

Draco popped up, pointing his wand, he was going to prove his worth as a Death Eater.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" yelled Draco Malfoy but Bellatrix lazily conjured a shield in front of her, causing the green light to strike the shield, shattering it into a thousand little pieces.

"Killing curse with your opponent's resistance not worn down, shows very poor form even if you did show the necessary killer instinct," lectured Bellatrix as she raised her wand. "CRUCIO!"

Draco screamed once again, but his screams didn't leave the room. His agony went on for what seemed like hours, but was really only slightly less than thirty seconds. Draco dropped to the ground, his face drenched in sweat and scratches all over his face where he was attempting to claw it off.

"I don't see the point of this, Aunt Bellatrix," said Draco in a slightly snide tone of voice. "The Dark Lord has entrusted me with killing Harry Potter and I think it is rather premature of you to assume that I don't have a plan that will lead to the downfall of Harry Potter."

"Your father thought he had Potter trapped in a corner with his little scheme and look where he is now," replied Bellatrix in an icy tone of voice. "You fail to remember that for all of his faults, Harry Potter was sorted in the noble Slytherin house. He is the most dangerous threat the Dark Lord has ever faced, he has pulled himself up to the position of the leader of the Slytherin house, he has quite a few supporters that will be willing to assist him against our cause, and is in fact an expert duelist. The Dark Lord acknowledges this much, so it would be foolish of you not to."

"I can beat Harry Potter!" yelled Draco angrily. "As I told you, I have a plan that can't fail."

"Your mother said that she thinks that you might be like this, simply because the Dark Lord has given you this task, and thus has given you reason to have an inflated view of your own abilities," said Bellatrix calmly. "Not to mention, every single time you've had an altercation with Potter, you've been completely embarrassed and outclassed by that son of a Mudblood."

"Not this time, Aunt Bellatrix, Potter is human and he has a very prominent weakness that I can exploit to lead to his end," responded Draco angrily. "Of course, Mother is worried. Anyone in her position would worry if they thought their son was being put in danger. But the fact is, Harry Potter will be nothing but a crumpled heap at my feet when I am through with him."

"You might have convinced yourself of that fact, Draco, but that doesn't make it a truth," responded Bellatrix calmly, in a nearly sane tone of voice.

"The Dark Lord has faith in me," said Draco, as he barely managed to deflect a curse that his aunt had unexpectedly thrown at him.

"He may but if you fail, you will be punished severely," said Bellatrix. "You should be really to completely justify his faith, as the Dark Lord detests being incorrect."

Before Draco could say anything more, Bellatrix hit him with a banishing curse, sending Draco flying right into a wall. Draco yelled in pain as several bones in his arm cracked.

"We'll leave today's lesson at that today, but I would strongly suggest putting as much focus on your dueling as you do running your mouth, Draco," concluded Bellatrix. "As pompous as your father was, he was a fairly competent dueler and could back up his boasts more often than not."

Bellatrix turned her back on her nephew, pushing the door open without bothering to acknowledge Draco's face as he lay on the floor, nursing his wounds. Draco felt Azkaban had rattled his aunt's brains too much. He had constantly told her that he had a plan to put Harry Potter in his proper place. Bellatrix's idea of a plan would be to torture her opponent into insanity, but as a Malfoy, Draco had something a bit more sophisticated in mind for Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived would be exposed as an over hyped, below average, filthy half blood and Draco Malfoy would succeed where every other Death Eater had failed.

Draco Malfoy would be known in history as the undisputed defeater of Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and would be honored in the highest esteem by the Dark Lord.

Despite not being caught in the center of the conflict with Lord Voldemort, the American Wizarding Government was rather busy protecting the security of their country by reinforcing the barriers around the country notifying them of any unauthorized magical people entering the country, along with the wards keeping anyone with a dark mark from even stepping one foot inside the United States of America. Aurors were being trained twice as hard, with recruitment being stepped up and the American magical schools putting a greater emphasis on Defense Against the Dark Arts. There may be a time where Lord Voldemort would decide to come after the American magical people, so they needed a fighting chance against Voldemort, his Death Eaters, dark creatures, and other assorted minions that he had under his control. Despite all the added precautions, Voldemort no doubt had curse breakers working for him that could find a way to shred the anti-Dark Mark wards if he put his entire focus on battling the magical people on this side of the world.

Alexandra Morgan, the Chief Executive Officer of the American Wizarding Government, entered her office looking a bit tired and weary. She hadn't gotten much sleep in what seemed like weeks and had just got back with a very intense meeting with the Canadian and Mexican Ministers of Magic about the North American policy against Voldemort. The Canadian Minister of Magic, Clarence Juster seemed to be much in favor of doing all that the Canadian Ministry could to keep Voldemort out. Unfortunately, the Canadian Ministry had their own problems to deal with, as they had an influx of vampire attacks over the past few months and there was strong suspicion that those vampires had sympathies with Voldemort's cause, if not out right aligned with the dangerous Dark Lord. Canada was barely a blip on the magical world power structure, but they did have a decent amount of skilled Aurors that had a similar training program to their American counterparts.

Mexican Minister of Magic Juan Alonso was a different story all together. He seemed to think that Voldemort was not much of a threat at all. A short, ill-tempered, and quite nasty man, Minister Alonso was rumored to have several opinions that Voldemort would agree with. He had imposed harsh laws limiting the rights of muggleborn witches and wizards in his country. Anyone would even spoke up against him was accused of treason and prosecuted with extreme prejudice. Many muggleborns and non-supports of the Alonso run Minister of Magic had fled to the United States, given the American Wizarding Government a huge headache in sorting out who came into the country through the proper channels and who came into the country illegally. That led to a whole mess of problems that the American Wizarding Government could not afford to encounter should Voldemort and his forces plan an attack on American soil.

Alexandra sank into her chair with a weary look on her face, as her friend Lily Potter sat across her.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting so long, Lily," said Alexandra in a weary voice. "It's been a busy last couple of days."

"Yes, I heard about some pro Voldemort supporters out on the west coast," said Lily calmly.

"From what I've heard about what happened during Voldemort's first reign of terror, there were a lot of people who bragged about supporting Voldemort, but in reality they were a bunch of young kids trying to rebel against authority," said Alexandra. "Of course, that's not to say we haven't had our share of real threats, people who aren't quite Death Eaters, but attack innocent people in the name of Voldemort. Just last week, an entire family of Muggles in Florida was tortured and then killed them by a trio of young men wearing homemade Death Eater robes and masks. The two year old was mutilated beyond all recognition, and whatever was left of his body was found impaled on a fence just a few miles away from there."

Lily looked revolted but decided to press on with something that she had been wondering.

"Are these copycat Death Eater attacks very common?" asked Lily.

"No, not really, because it is well noted that these witches or wizards would be put on trial for their crimes when we catch them and if convicted under Vertitaserum, powerful magical blocks would be put on them by the American Department of Mysteries and they would be thrown in a Muggle jail," explained Alexandra.

"A fate worse than death for a pureblood," said Lily, nodding in understanding.

"Still, a few isolated incidents aren't too much of a problem, as long as we catch who is responsible," said Alexandra. "I'm just worried about the problems coming from both North and South of here. I'll be honest, vampire attacks are on the rise in Canada, the Muggles up there are starting to suspect that something is not right and the Canadian Ministry is struggling to track down the leader of these Canadian vampires who is coordinating these attacks."

"But, are they supporters of Voldemort or just willing to spill Muggle blood because of their natural instincts?" asked Lily.

"Maybe, but I don't want to speculate too much until I'm entirely sure," said Alexandra tensely. "I do know that Alonso down in Mexico is all but a Voldemort supporter."

"Yes, I've heard, he doesn't like muggleborns at all and seems to regard Muggles as nothing but tools for slave labor," said Lily darkly.

"Pretty much, and many are terrified of speaking out against him," said Alexandra. "Some have spoken and no one has ever seen them again, alive anyway. Many muggleborns have fled the country to avoid being accused of crimes they never committed and sentenced to death. If Voldemort is going to try and break through, he'll do it at the Mexico/United States border. Alonso would throw a festival if Voldemort walked into his country."

"Mexico and America magical relations are not exactly that good anyway," replied Lily.

"Quite right, especially after Mexico lost a good chunk of their land to the United States back in the middle of the 19th century," confirmed Alexandra. "Still, at least relations were cordial for a time, but ever since Alonso became Minister, Anti-American sentiment has risen among many Mexican witches and wizards."

"If Voldemort invades, do you think Alonso and his Aurors will stand side by side with him?" asked Lily.

"I'm prepared for the possibility," answered Alexandra. "Juan Alonso, from all stories, seems to bully people when he is sure there is no way they can't strike back harsher than him. He doesn't have the resources to try something with the American magical population but if he could hide behind Voldemort, then I'm sure he'll have no problem getting his two cents in if Voldemort and his Death Eaters try to invade us. Unfortunately, my hands are tied and I can't really have my Aurors do anything until I have concrete proof of what Alonso would and wouldn't dare to do against us. He might just be attempting to scare his people into submission by planting hints that he could bring Voldemort down upon them at any time but I doubt that Alonso would turn Voldemort down if he requested his government's help."

Alexandra paused for a few seconds, before shaking her head, causing her dark hair to whip from side to side for a brief period of time.

"But, Voldemort will be sure he has sufficient resources and a full idea of what he needs to break and with the defenses being altered every couple of months, we might be able to buy some time to prepare, Mexican Ministry assistance or not," said Alexandra. "But enough about that, Lily, I heard that you managed to secure the position of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts."

"Well, it wasn't much of a battle, Dumbledore had few other options," said Lily with a bit of a satisfied smile. "I heard that Dumbledore's original plan was to get Horace Slughorn out retirement to have him teach Potions again and move Snape over to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts but Slughorn seemed to enjoy his quiet life away from Hogwarts too much."

"Well, Slughorn's not as young as he used to be," said Alexandra. "Still, he taught the art of Potions well enough, it's just too bad I was abysmal in that subject and only barely scraped an "A" on my O.W.L."

"And there was the good old Slug Club," said Lily fondly. "It's amazing how many of those people in that Club went onto fame or infamy, depending on what path they took in their life."

"Still, Slughorn taught at Hogwarts years and years before we went, he looked about ready to retire and did in fact a couple of years after we left," remarked Alexandra. "He earned his retirement through but the poor students of Hogwarts are stuck with Snape as their Potions Professor. He might have been top of the year in his Potions N.E.W.T. but I don't see him as a person who would be fit to be a teacher. Snape didn't care for children for much even when he was one"

Lily decided not to acknowledge Snape's name being brought up by her friend.

"Still, Dumbledore had few options, so he had to reluctantly go to the only person who had bothered to apply for the position last year," continued Lily calmly. "I think Dumbledore might have rather dragged Lockhart out of St. Mungos and have him take another crack at teaching the class but his hands were pretty much tied on this issue and he reluctantly offered me the position."

"Really, how so?" asked Alexandra curiously.

"Harry's been leaning on the Ministry heavily about having a competent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Dumbledore decided to just avoid another altercation with the Ministry, after he was just reinstated as Chief Warlock and give me the spot as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said Lily. "Harry thinks and I agree that Voldemort is preparing for a coup and a full fledged takeover of the Ministry of Magic and eventually Hogwarts. Obviously, getting Lucius Malfoy in there was just to give Voldemort a closer view of what he needs to do to roll over the Ministry. It really could happen at any time but unfortunately younger generation has been crippled because of lack of proper practical training in defensive magic."

"And let's face it, Auror enrollment is down in Britain over the past forty or so years thanks to the spotty Defense Against the Dark Arts training," said Alexandra. "There have been some excellent teachers, some fair teachers, and teachers who couldn't tell their wand from a stick on the ground."

"Yes, remember the teacher in our fourth year," said Lily with a shudder. "He could barely do a simple levitation charm and didn't even know the incantations for the most basic Defensive spells. He ran crying at the end through, after he was attacked by a group of upper year Slytherins."

"Led by the charming Bellatrix Black, soon to be Lestrange, if I remember quietly" replied Alexandra. "He was a wizard in the prime of his life and he couldn't defend himself against five sixth and seventh year Slytherins. Turned out that he was very nearly a squib and the only one who wanted to take the job after what happened to the teacher in our third year."

"Didn't he go into the Forbidden Forest one night and never return?" asked Lily, screwing her eyes shut in concentration.

"No, that was the sixth year teacher," said Alexandra. "The Third Year Teacher received that cursed necktie that strangled him in the middle of the Great Hall right during Breakfast one day. Too bad, he was a fairly competent teacher. He was just a bit foolish in not checking to see if that necktie had any dangerous spells on. "

"Yes, well it's a good thing that I'm paranoid enough to scan any and all mysterious packages I receive," remarked Lily dryly. "Call me insane, but I think that after I've barely survived against so many Death Eaters and Voldemort countless times, it wouldn't be wise to tempt fate."

"I thought you didn't really believe in fate, Lily," said Alexandra.

"Well after he acted during my first five years at Hogwarts, I didn't believe that I would ever date James, let alone marry him but I guess I was proven wrong on that too," said Lily fondly. "Still, even with this position, I still have to officially stick to the approved Ministry of Magic spells."

"Officially maybe but I'm sure you'll find a way to work around that," said Alexandra.

"Of course, I'll be attending the meetings of Harry's Defense Against the Dark Art study group and assisting in teaching some advanced spells that the Ministry just grudgingly teaches their Aurors," remarked Lily. "I have no hesitation in saying that the people who would latch onto any chance for extra defense training, while signing a loyalty oath with consequences against betraying the oath. Having seen the magic on the contract in question, Harry didn't really leave any room for loopholes."

"How is Harry, anyway?" asked Alexandra.

"Stressed out," said Lily. "Remember how I was during my N.E.W.T. year, when I was trying to balance both a full close load and a secret double life as an Unspeakable?"

"Yes, I do vaguely remember something about that, you were a bit moody," replied Alexandra with a bit of a smirk. "Sirius might remember a bit better, after you hexed his hair off when he accidentally walked into an empty classroom during a private moment between you and James."

"Hey, it grew back," said Lily, laughing briefly. "But he should have knocked first anyway. It is common courtesy to do so when a door is shut."

Lily and Alexandra shared a laugh at a more innocent time, before they stepped out of Hogwarts, which was safe most of the time, unless of course someone had a Dark Lord wanting their head on a platter.

"Still, Harry's been shut up in his room, alternating between the Wizarding Wireless and the Muggle News, trying to pick up hints that might point him to what Voldemort's up to," explained Lily. "Plus, he's worried about Hermione, she's still in St. Mungos and the Healers don't know when she'll recover."

"And let me guess, Harry decided to blame himself for this," said Alexandra, looking at her friend. "Like a certain other someone I know, that couldn't reach my house in time when Death Eaters decided to torture and kill my entire family."

"I should have gotten there in time, the spy that was working in the Department of Mysteries did tip us off," said Lily in a depressed voice. "Unfortunately, I was working on a project in a warded room and was a little late finding out."

Before this unpleasant trip down memory lane could continue, the intercom on Alexandra's desk to cackled to life.

"Begging your pardon, Madam President Morgan, but Agent Bishop is requesting your presence, it is most urgent," declared the voice on the Intercom. "He's waiting for you in the library area."

"Bishop again, this is the third time this week," muttered Alexandra in a bit of an agitated voice as Lily's eyes grew wide at hearing the words "Agent Bishop. "Lily, you've heard of Bishop before and don't approve."

"Oh, I've heard of him," said Lily grimly, remembering how Bishop had captured Raph, Mikey, Don, Leo, and Harry during the confusion of the Triceraton invasion of the previous year. He had managed to extract a sample of magic from Harry and had fully prepared to dissect the four Turtles, had it not been for the timely interference of Master Splinter, Hailey, and Ginny. Bishop had escaped with mutated DNA samples along with a small bit of concentrated magical energy. "It's a long story Alexandra, but exactly why would he want to meet with you?"

"He's wants our help on some kind of alien defense system, he is the head of the Earth Protection Agency, who are supposed to keep out alien invasions," explained Alexandra. "Waste of tax dollars if you ask me, they weren't worth a damn when the Triceratons invaded last year. Still, the Muggle President has requested that I meet with Bishop because some of his ideas might be nullified by the protective wards the American Wizarding Government. He's not making any headway but I might as well get this over with."

"Right," remarked Lily grimly. "Just be careful."

Alexandra nodded before remembering the reason why Lily came here in the first place.

"Oh and the information Harry wanted is in the blue folder on my desk, you can take it on your way out," said Alexandra quickly, before she pushed her way through the door and walking, to meet her Auror guard on the way to see Agent Bishop.

Harry Potter barely managed to straighten his legs and land on his feet, after being flung up into the air. For the second time, the Boy-Who-Lived found himself face to face with a mysterious mercenary, who had appeared out of nowhere. The Mercenary shot a pair of Kusari-Gama chains from his sleeves, wrapping around the arms of the Boy-Who-Lived, and attempting to pull him forward into an attack but Harry instinctively shot a wandless melting charm through the chains, causing the chains to morph into a pile of liquid metal. Harry quickly took advantage of his attacker's momentarily confusion, leaping over the head of his attacker. The attacker turned around and Harry flung a pair of daggers at the attacker, who managed to twist them in mid air expertly, before throwing them back at Harry. Harry threw himself on the ground, as the daggers sailed over him and clattered to the ground.

The attacker rushed at Harry, aiming a kick at the side of Harry's head but Harry grabbed the attacker's foot and pushed him off, before leaping up and connecting with a vicious punch right to the lip of the attacker! Harry grabbed the attacker by the throat but the attacker dropped down, kicking Harry roughly in the chins. Harry winced in pain and the attacker flipped Harry over onto the grass. Harry pulled himself to his feet and the attacker grabbed Harry by the arm and flung him to the ground. Harry got right to his feet and narrowly avoided a kick to the ribs, before pulling out his double edged sword. The mercenary tossed a shuriken to the side, knocking the weapon from Harry's hand. The resulting impact caused Harry to stumble backwards and Harry made a movement to go after his weapon, but the attacker grabbed Harry and tossed him to the ground.

"Sixty seconds," hissed a voice that only the mercenary could hear and the mercenary pulled a katana out, rushing Harry with it, but Harry conjured a stone shield in the blink of his eye wandlessly.

The sword sliced the shield cleanly in half but Harry had used the distraction to dart behind the mercenary and kick him right in the back. The assassin flew towards the ground but did a handstand and sprung back, kicking Harry right in the chest. Thankfully, Harry managed to put up a partial shield charm before the assassin struck, so Harry found himself knocked off balance as opposed to having any lasting injuries. A pair of quick strikes knocked Harry for a loop but only for maybe less than ten seconds. Harry pulled himself up and prepared to spring into the attack on his assailant.

Before Harry could attack, the mercenary was engulfed in blue light. Harry attempted to get to him to slap a tracking charm on him before he vanished but unfortunately, the assassin disappeared quicker than Harry could aim his wand at him.

The first time that Harry was attacked seemed to be an isolated incident but a second mercenary attack led Harry to believe that the fact he was getting attacked was far from a coincidence. Harry had a strong suspicion that Voldemort might be behind this in some fashion. Whether it was directly or quite indirectly through other Death Eaters sending these mercenaries after him, Harry didn't have the foggiest notion to exactly how.

The only good thing that came out of this latest attack was that at least Harry had managed to walk away from it with only a few bumps and bruises. Still, it seemed as if he could only get lucky to touch his attacker on a couple of occasions. It seemed over the past weeks, Harry couldn't have success against any of the dangerous threats that he came up against. It was by chance that he managed to survive his encounters with the king size mousers in the floating city of Beijing, he barely managed to save Hermione from being killed by Death Eaters, the Squib Inquisition had reached the lair before Harry and his brothers had, forcing Harry to modify their memories. The evil demon sorcerer Savanti Romero had knocked around Leo, Mikey, Raph, Don, and Harry, just barely defeated by a fluke cheap shot from behind. Then the fusion of the Ultimate Ninja and Drako the Dragon had Harry and the Turtles had their mercy, before Lord Simultaneous intervened. The pair of fiends still escaped with the Time Sceptre and worse yet, Harry couldn't defeat two hired mercenaries. They were skilled but about pretty much the same as the Shredder's Elite Guard, who Harry had no problem holding his own with after the first couple of encounters.

Each of these failures, setbacks, gnawed at Harry like a parasite. Maybe his early successes were against Voldemort, Shredder, and others were forced. Maybe he his luck was dangerously close to running out. Even through he hadn't voiced it to anyone, Harry's confidence was taking a huge hit by these recent setbacks.

Harry looked up, shaking his head at the billboard with the face of Oroku Saki plastered on it. The billboard no doubt put across the many things that Saki had done for the city, all in the name of his own gains, Harry thought quite bitterly. The same city that Harry and his brothers had worked from the shadows to protect had been eating out of the palm of one of their most deadly enemies. In his more bitter moments, Harry thought those people as a bunch of ingrates, who seemed to travel with popular opinion. The majority of the people of New York City were like the British Magical World in many places. They were swayed very easily by popular opinion as it was reported in the media and leaned to be quite ignorant as well.

Harry heard a van skid to a stop and a loud screaming noise. His eyes darted forward, wondering if he should bother or not. After all, why should he save someone who would likely hail Oroku Saki as some great hero and wouldn't believe his true nature if it was staring them in the face?

Still, Harry reluctantly moved forward, sneaking in the shadows, his curious nature getting the better of him. Sure enough, he saw a very harassed looking man dressed in black, being shoved to the ground by two thugs who laughed wickedly. Harry naturally recognized them at once.

"Purple Dragons," hissed Harry angrily, before moving forward.

"Hurry up with securing that truck, you mugs," said Sonny, a roughneck gentleman who was put in charge by Hun to lead the Purple Dragons, due to Hun working more closely with the Shredder as of late. "We need to get this experimental weapon; some schmuck will pay a fortune for it."

"Right boss," declared a rotund member of the Purple Dragons, known as Two-Ton, as he climbed up and prepared to start the van but a shuriken flung out of nowhere, striking the side of the truck.

Harry rushed forward to grab Two-Ton by the shirt and in a burst of surprising strength flung the Purple Dragon to the ground. Sonny looked at Harry with wide eyes for a few seconds, before looking at the other three Purple Dragons who had joined him for this theft.

"Dusty, Ramrod, Spike, get that little twerp!" ordered Sonny in a loud voice and sure enough, two of the Purple Dragons rushed forward, but due to being nothing more than strong arm thugs, Harry managed to calmly trip them up.

The third Purple Dragon swung a pipe at Harry, who ducked the swift and used his weapon to slice the pipe in half. The Purple Dragon had a dumb founded look on his face so Harry grabbed him by his throat and threw him right through the windshield of the truck! Shrads of glass flew everywhere and Harry turned around caught unaware a beefy punch to the stomach by the recovered Two-Ton. Harry doubled over in agony, as Two-Ton dragged Harry over holding him still, allowing Sonny to rush over and kicked Harry hard right in the side when he was virtually helpless. While Harry sunk to the ground, the wind knocked out of him from that kick.

"Let's get while the getting is good!" yelled Sonny, as the Purple Dragons quickly scrambled to the truck, Ramrod, Spike, and Dusty staggering in the back, while Two-Ton and Sonny climbed into the front, just as Harry pulled himself to his feet, as the Purple Dragons sped away, nearly wiping out two parked cars in the process.

Harry wasn't going to let them get away that easily. The Boy-Who-Lived quickly removed his Firebolt that was strapped to his back behind him, before mounting himself on it. The wizard shot off after the van on the speed of light, carefully attempting to aim his wand and ready to get in position to blow out the tires, stalling the Purples Dragons.

The Purple Dragons cackled at their handy escape but their glee slowly turned sour when the doors in the back blew open due to a blasting spell.

"That damn kid doesn't know when to give up," grumbled Sonny. "Can't you find something to blast him off that fancy little flying ride or something, boys?"

"Uh, got it right here," declared Ramrod stupidly, pulling the only weapon aboard from a crate in the back of the van. It was a laser weapon with a glowing light tube mounted on the top, nearly blinding those in the truck with bright illuminating light. "Wow, I wonder what this thing is powered by. I've never seen something that's so bright."

"Never mind that, just blast the little scar faced punk and put that thing away, it's nearly blinding me," declared Sonny in an irritated voice and Ramrod pointed the weapon towards the meddlesome brat that was following them.

Harry closed in fast but he saw one of the Purple Dragons point a weapon at him and send a large straight glow of blue light right at Harry. At first, the weapon looked like an oversized flashlight and Harry dove straight towards the truck.

The light from the laser gun blasted Harry, illuminating his entire body. Harry began to feel a little light headed and his broomstick was knocked off course, spiraling towards the ground. The Boy-Who-Lived and his broomstick dropped to the ground, landing swiftly on a patch of grass.

The Purple Dragons cheered triumphantly as they saw their attacker laid face first in the grass as if in a deep sleep. Ramrod carefully slipped the weapon back in the trunk as the Purple Dragons sped off, back to their warehouse headquarters.

The fingers on Harry's right hand twitched as the first signs of life began to come back to the Boy-Who-Lived since he was knocked out of the air.

Just outside of Earth, a very battered Triceraton air ship with graffiti painted on it zoomed from side to side randomly, with about a dozen scarred and surly Triceratons cracking their knocks.

"Boss, I think we've managed to get away from Traximus," replied one of the Triceratons roughly.

"Good, that simple saurian thinks he can keep us from reestablishing the glorious regime of Prime Leader Zanramon," growled the lead Triceraton. "I was the Prime Leader's chief torturer and now thanks to Traximus's out of date thinking, I am out of a job. Forced to live as a rogue, an outcast, a mere felon, salvaging whatever scraps of meat I can get my hands on."

The Triceraton smashed his fist angrily down on the table, cracking out.

"Navigator, where is our location?" asked the Triceraton leader.

"You think I'll talk to you after you forced me to fly this ship by gunpoint," growled the Navigator. "The Triceraton Republic will bring you rogues to justice, you can't escape them forever."

"Tell us the location worm," declared the nasty Triceraton known as Gruel.

"If you must know, we are passing the planet known as Earth," declared the Navigator reluctantly.

"Earth, home of those four terrapin creatures and that scar faced, messy haired, human who helped bring down our glorious Prime Leader," growled the Triceraton Leader. "Perfect, we have the Doomsday device and we'll put it to good use after all."

"But what of the human rulers of Earth?" asked one of the Triceratons.

"We'll crush them if they stand in our way," declared the leader severely. "The only problem standing in our way would be the four terrapin creatures and their human friend. The terrapins we can handle but the human managed to short circuit Zanramon's Triceraton Mind Probe by the force of will. If anyone can shut down the Doomsday Device, it would be him."

The Triceraton Leader looked thoughtful for a second.

"Call the feared space pirate Captain Dread and put a little work his way, he owes me a little favor anyway," declared the Rogue Triceraton Leader, to one of his subordinates, whose eyes widened at the name but said nothing and just nodded before doing as he was told.

Lily made her way home from the American Wizarding Government Headquarters, pushing open the front door. She saw her daughter Hailey sitting on the couch, reading one of the rare Defense Against the Dark Arts texts that Harry had managed to duplicate from the library of Salazar Slytherin deep underneath Hogwarts.

"Man, whoever came up this curse must have had a sick mind," muttered Hailey in disgust, before noticing that her mother had arrived home. "Good afternoon, Mum."

"Good afternoon, Hailey," said Lily looking around. "Do you know where your brother is?"

"Went out for a walk, might have stopped down at the lair to see the others," said Hailey in a bit of an absent minded look, turning the page of her book.

"I just hope Harry hadn't ran into trouble," said Lily fretfully, looking at the door worriedly for her son but fortunately seconds later, the door opened and a smiling Harry bounded into the door, with a noticeable spring in his step.

"Afternoon, Mum, Hailey, beautiful day outside isn't it," declared Harry cheerfully with a smile, as he bounded over cheerfully and engulfed his mother and sister in a hug that would have made Mrs. Weasley cringe.

"My, Harry, you're in quite a good mood today," gasped Hailey. "Do, you think you can let us go so we can breath?"

Harry slowly let his mother and sister loose, with a bit of a sheepish look on his face. Lily looked up into her son's face, with a bit of a perplexed look. It seemed that his face was full of life and his lightning bolt scar had completely vanished from his forehead. Lily suspected something and pulled out her wand, pointing at the person who walked through the door. She had a strong suspicion that this might be someone under the Polyjuice Potion doing a horrid job at imitating her son.

"What have you done with Harry?" asked Lily calmly, as she pointed her wand at him.

"Mum, I think you've been working too hard, I'm right here!" exclaimed Harry in an astonished voice. "Maybe you should take a couple of days off, have a little time to yourself, and not be so wound up."

"Okay, if you're Harry, then what is your Animagus form?" asked Lily, choosing a question to ask that only a handful of people would know.

"A raven," declared Harry promptly, without any hesitation.

"Harry, I'm sorry but I had to check," replied Lily relaxing her wand arm. "It's just you've been a…"

"Quite moody and irritable," supplied Hailey.

"Yes, but now you're smiling," said Lily in a confused voice.

"Why shouldn't I be smiling?" asked Harry. "Life's a blast, there's nothing to worry about, nothing at all!"

"Harry, do you think I could look into your mind with Legilimency?" asked Lily in hesitation.

"Of course, but I don't think what the big problem is," replied Harry calmly.

Lily gently prodded into Harry's mind, but it seemed as if there were only happy memories on the surface, nothing regarding Lord Voldemort. The way Harry was up to this afternoon would indicate that Voldemort would always be in the forefront of his thoughts.

"Harry, what exactly happened to you before you got here?" asked Lily.

"Oh, I was chasing some Purple Dragons and got blasted with some kind of experimental laser weapon that they found off the back of a truck," declared Harry in a nonchalant voice. "It's no big deal really."

Lily nodded slowly, but the fact that she had found out exactly what happened to Harry might prove to be useful lately. Harry, when he heard no further instruction, exited the room.

"This new Harry is a lot more pleasant to be around, if I might say so myself," replied Hailey calmly. "At least we know he won't work himself into a meltdown."

A part of Lily agreed that Harry could stand to be in this state for a while, but a more logical part of her brain reluctantly cancelled out her own maternal instincts.

"No, as much as I like to see my son in a good mood, it might not be a good idea to have him in this state," replied Lily fretfully. "We need to get our hands on that weapon that the Purple Dragons used on Harry and find someway to reverse the effects."

A brief moment of silence was broken by a loud shrill siren in the air right outside the Potter residence.

"Now, what," muttered Lily, as she looked outside, to see a large air ship descend down on the rooftop right across the street. "Hailey stay indoors, no matter what."

"Why?" asked Hailey in a confused voice, before looking outdoors and seeing a group of severe looking Triceratons exit the vehicle, unloading a large crate, before one of them used a laser that seemed to make it levitate effortlessly in mid air. The Triceratons activated jet packs, before gliding through the New York sky with the crate a ways in front of them.

Elsewhere in the city, in the warehouse above the lair, Don, Mikey, Leo, and Raph had heard the same alarm and had exited the lair to investigate the source

"It can't be," muttered Mikey.

"No, Zanramon was removed from the position of Prime Leader, Traximus said that the Triceraton Republic would be reformed," said Leo.

"No, I don't think these particular Triceratons are working for the government," said Don in a logical voice. "They might be rogues, supporters of the old regime."

"So why would they come to Earth of all places?" asked Mikey.

"I'll give you five good reasons," declared Raph. "Since they think Professor Honeycutt bit the big one, who do you think they blame for the regime of Zanramon collapsing."

"Us and Harry," replied Leo darkly.

"I say we go and get Harry, because he might want to know that we saw this," declared Raph.

"He could have already saw it, Raph," said Leo calmly.

"Not if he had his mind on other things, like, oh I don't know, Lord Voldemort," responded Raph.

"Right let's go," ordered Leo and the four Turtles snuck off, trying not to meet any Triceratons before they reached Harry.

At his underground government base just slightly outside of New York City, Agent Bishop walked calmly to the table, clutching a book that he had managed to smuggle out of the American Wizarding Government Headquarters. While coordinating the alien defenses was very real, Bishop saw no reason why he should not undertake other endeavors. He had removed a few books that had multiple duplicates, to work on an experimental weapon. Once he got this weapon completely stabilized, it would be able the hold off smaller alien invasions. It was only a temporary solution until Bishop managed to complete his army of genetically modified super soldiers.

One of Bishop's subordinates entered the room with a frantic look on his face.

"Agent Bishop, I have an urgent message for you!" declared the subordinate quickly.

"What is it?" asked Bishop coolly.

"The weapon that you had moved here was hijacked by hoodlums," declared the subordinate in a shaky voice.

"I was under the impression that the only person who knew about the shipment of that particular device into this city was the Mayor," responded Bishop calmly. "Get some men and recover that device, it is not to be used in the hands of common street thugs. They won't be able to handle the power."

The subordinate nodded fearfully as a loud alarm echoed through the government headquarters. Bishop walked over calmly and pressed a square blue button, showing images of Triceratons moving through the sky, with an unmarked crate.

"Triceratons," remarked Bishop calmly.

"What now, Agent Bishop?" asked his subordinate, as he watched the images on the screen

"My orders have not changed, recover the weapon," replied Bishop in an icy tone of voice and the subordinate walked off fearfully before Bishop could say anything further.

A couple dozen children played happily on a playground on New York City. A dark cloud slowly descended on their day as a large spaceship, with a large image of a skull and crossbones plastered on the side. A large laser canon swung forward, blasting a set of swings out of the way, causing several of the children to run in every which direction. The ship descended to the ground on the space that it had been cleared. The exit hatch swung open, causing a stairway to descend downwards. A large figure, nearly eight feet tall exited from the ship, with a nasty look on his face. The right side of his body was completely covered in cybernetic alterations, having been blown cleanly off. His left side of his body showed disgusting yellow skin with disfiguring scars. He was the feared space pirate, Captain Dread.

"So, this is Earth," declared Captain Dread savagely, look at the few children who were so paralyzed by terror that they didn't run for their life. "Such disgusting specimens."

Captain Dread had a job to do so he walked off in preparation to destroy this human as the rogue Triceraton faction had requested.

Lily moved towards the door, with her sons Invisibility Cloak and her wand, hoping that she could track down the weapon used to drastically alter Harry's personality. Before she could leave, the door opened once again. Lily raised her wand before relaxing when she saw the four Turtles entering the house cautiously.

"Close that door behind you," said Lily quickly. "Triceratons are here and I don't want to risk any chance they might come looking for Harry in here. Especially in his current state."

"Current state?" asked Don.

"Harry got attacked again by another mercenary," declared Raph. "That's what happened and he's badly hurt. It must be been after he left the lair."

"No, Harry's not physically injured," said Lily calmly. "He was pursuing Purple Dragons who had apparently stolen an experimental weapon. What the weapon did, I have no idea. However, Harry was struck with the weapon and he went all strange."

"Exactly how strange?" prompted Leo.

"Well he was coming up all smiling and happy, I thought it was someone doing a bad job impersonating him at first but it was in fact Harry," answered Lily.

"So, Harry's not right in the head and to top it off, we have Triceratons coming to the city," summarized Raph.

"Yeah could this day get any worse?" asked Mikey.

At those words from Mikey a loud booming voice from some undetermined point of the city began to echo loudly.

"Citizens of the planet Earth and most importantly, those four terrapin nuisances, hear me!" growled the amplified voce. "We have a Doomsday Device that will be armed to go off within two of your Earth hours. This Doomsday Device will reduce your planet to nothing but mere ashes floating inside the vastness of space. The device will only be deactivated when the four terrapin creatures that brought down the regime of our glorious Prime Leader surrender themselves to us."

The voice faded into nothingness as the four Turtles exchanged horrified glances.

"They tell us but they don't give us the slightest clue of where we're supposed to surrender," said Leo.

"Let's not surrender, let's pummel their horned hides to a pulp!" said Raph, who looked ready for a fight.

"Listen, we don't even know where this Doomsday Device is, we need to find that and shut it down first," declared Don in a reasonable voice.

"Don's right, we can't go after them without knowing where the Doomsday's Device is, it would be suicidal and we'd be putting the entire planet in grave peril," said Leo.

"You four can worry about the Triceratons, I need to find that weapon and restore Harry back to normal," responded Lily.

"That could be a little problem," said Hailey who walked into the room, with a piece of parchment in her hand. "Read this."

Lily took the paper from her daughter, reading it out loud.

"Everyone, this place is getting a little dull, so I've decided to leave and catch some thrills," read Lily. "After all, I can't very well stay inside on this lovely day, so I'm going to go and enjoy life. Catch you all later, Harry."

Lily let the note drop to the floor.

"Despite his lax attitude, Harry's appeared to retain some of his ninjitsu ability, being able to sneak out like that," remarked Lily in a worried voice.

"Which means he might not be in any state to defend himself against Triceratons!" exclaimed Hailey in a fearful voice.

"That means someone's going to have to track down Harry," said Leo.

"I'll do it," said Hailey quickly but Lily shook her head no.

"No, Hailey, you can't put yourself in danger, as capable as you all, those Triceratons are resistant to magic and can barely be put down even by the most skilled of opponents," said Lily. "If anyone is going to go after Harry, it'll be me."

"Wait a minute, I thought you were supposed to go after the weapon so you could return Harry back to normal," said Hailey.

"Don, Mikey, track down the Purple Dragons and get that weapon," ordered Leo, deciding to take charge. "Raph, you're with me against the Triceratons."

"Now Hailey, I want your word that I am not to catching you leaving this house," said Lily, just as everyone moved out the door.

"Yes Mum, you have my word," replied Hailey as she watched everyone leave.

On the building with the Oroku Saki billboard, a dozen spray paint cans were levitated magically by Harry who had a gleeful look on his face, as he began to make some alterations to the image of Saki on the billboard. Saki's image soon appeared wearing a multi colored afro. Harry stepped back, with a proud look on his face as he surveyed his work.

"Now, that's art," declared Harry in a jovial voice. "I now like that billboard a lot more right now."

Harry walked away to move towards his Firebolt but the billboard behind him blew into thousands of tiny pieces. He spun around, to see the face of Captain Dread staring at him. Harry looked as if he wasn't bothered and began to mount his broomstick.

"So, the threat that the Triceratons wanted me to take care of," growled Dread in disgust. "Easiest capital I've ever made."

Dread pointed his cybernetic arm towards his opponent.

"A simple cleaning utensil will not help you now, boy," declared Dread savagely and he blasted a jet of blue light from a concealed laser from his arm but Harry calmly pulled out a mirror to check his reflection.

"This is a beautiful day indeed, my hair looks simply fabulous!" declared Harry happily, as the laser deflected off the mirror right back at Captain Dread.

The feared space pirate was blasted backwards off the side of the building by his own laser as Harry didn't bother to glance over his shoulder. He instead zoomed off on his Firebolt, zigzagging recklessly from side to side, with no regard for his own health.

Captain Dread pulled himself to his feet, the space pirate had few scratches on him.

"This human child seems to be a bit more than meets the eye, but no matter, Captain Dread never gives up after the first failure," declared Dread, as he stormed off, in pursuit of his target.

In the Potter residence, Hailey stood up in her room, wondering whether or not she should go and try and help her mother look for Harry. Hailey swore she wasn't to leave the house but something told her that there was something she could do to help.

Hailey reached into a trunk that was charmed shut to keep prying eyes out, looking at her Black Phantom disguise. Conflict resounded through her mind, debating on whether or not to put on that particular disguise. It was one thing against petty criminals but against a dangerous alien menace, it was an entire story all together. Harry said she improved a lot in both magical and ninjitsu fields, but something told Hailey she might be a bit in over her head.

Then something struck Hailey. If she was in the same position, Harry wouldn't bother thinking of the risks. Her brother was good at thinking on his feet and making up a plan on the fly when he had to. Hailey resolved to try and do the same thing, no matter how in over her head. The thing that strengthened her resolve was that she was the same age that Harry was when he had to hold his own with a Lord Voldemort who had returned to full power in a graveyard surrounded by Death Eaters. While Hailey as skilled as Harry, there were few dangers that were on the level of Voldemort.

And Hailey had no intention of breaking her promise to her mother. Hailey was going to sneak back into the house before her mother could even notice she was missing, so technically she wouldn't be caught.

Hailey pulled out her two way mirror and her wand, activating the tracking charm connected in Harry's mirror. Sure enough, Harry had the mirror on him, because it lead away from the Potter residence.

Under the guise of the Black Phantom, Hailey made a motion to grab her Firebolt and track Harry via broomstick.

Raph and Leo crept in the shadows in the city.

"These damn horn heads could have that Doomsday weapon anywhere in this city," grumbled Raph as he held his Sais, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

Leo stopped cold in his tracks and looked around to flashes of blinding red light traveling down the power lines.

"Raph, I think if we follow that energy spike, we might find the Doomsday Device," declared Leo.

"Yeah, you got a point," replied Raph. "This piece of technology might be more up Don's street but even I know they might need just a little bit of power to unleash a Doomsday Device on the city."

The two Turtles moved forward to locate to follow the energy spikes towards what they hoped was the Doomsday Device.

Hailey checked the mirror. It glowed brightly, indicating that she was getting close to Harry. The fourteen year old girl looked down and sure enough, she saw her brother sitting cross legged on the grass, as if he didn't have a care in the world, eating a chocolate ice cream. Upon closer inspection, Harry seemed to have used his Metamorphmagus abilities to turn his dark hair into a bright, vibrant shade of green and his eyes a nearly blinding shade of purple.

"There you are," declared Hailey calmly.

"It's the Black Phantom!" declared Harry waving cheerfully. "Don't mind me, I just a citizen just enjoying life. I sure you have some grave skullduggery to uncover or something, so don't dawdle."

"Harry, you need to go home, you're in grave peril and not well," said Hailey in a fretful voice.

"Oh, c'mon mellow out, who would want to kill someone like me?" asked Harry in a bright voice.

"Would you like me to start making a list?" answered Hailey dryly.

"Now, don't be so glum, this day is too beautiful for rampant negatively," declared Harry. "Come down, and maybe I teach you a couple of tricks on that broomstick. I'm always happy to help a novice out after all."

Hailey got down and pulled out her wand.

"Harry, this is serious," replied Hailey calmly. "There are…"

A large blast of blinding blue light flew through the air, causing Hailey to roll out of the way.

Captain Dread aimed his cybernetic arm at both of the Potter siblings.

"Hey cool toy, I want to play," declared Harry cheerfully, eying Dread's cybernetic arm.

"Playtime's over weakling!" grunted Dread, sending another laser blast towards Harry, but it struck his ice cream cone.

"No, not my ice cream!" yelled Harry in pure angst, as he threw himself to the ground, looking extremely upset. "That wasn't very nice."

Hailey slashed her wand towards Captain Dread, who looked to be aiming to kill this time. The blast of light caused Dread some surprise, but only merely staggered him backwards as opposed to doing the least bit of damage.

"A mere girl can't match the power the most feared space pirate in the universe, Captain Dread!" thundered Captain Dread, as the pirate shot a net out his cybernetic chest plate, trapping Hailey for the moment.

"The only thing that people should dread is your fashion sense!" responded Harry, eying Dread's cybernetic replacements. "That look is passé if I may say so myself."

"You dare mock me, you brat!" yelled Dread, sending a pair of laser blasters which Harry just leapt side to side to avoid.

"Close but nothing," responded Harry fretfully, pulling out his wand as Dread fired another pair of blasts from his laser which Harry ducked. "Come on Dread, you look a little hot underneath the collar, why don't you cool off?"

Harry pointed his wand towards a nearby fountain, causing a wall of water to rise towards Captain Dread. Dread was surprised at this onslaught and the water sent him spiraling down the street in a minor flood.

"You haven't seen the last of me, human!" declared Captain Dread. "Captain Dread will return!"

"Talking in the third person, who in the world does that?" asked Harry, shaking his head fretfully as he saw the Black Phantom manage to free herself from the net. "Now I won't let the likes of that guy muck up my day, I'm off to enjoy the sights and have a blast."

"Harry, listen to me, there are Triceratons here, they have a Doomsday weapon, and they are going to destroy Earth in less than two hours, unless it gets deactivated!" declared Hailey frantically.

"Hey, it's just one measly planet, the entire universe is full of them," declared Harry, waving this off. "Now, if it gets destroyed in two hours, that just means I'm going to have live life for the moment!"

"Now, Harry, get back here before…" started Hailey but it was too late, as her brother had shot straight up on his Firebolt.

"Catch me if you can, Black Phantom!" exclaimed Harry as he flew through the sky.

Hailey gritted her teeth, her patience with her brother drawing to a rapid end. She placed herself on her Firebolt and shot straight up like a cork, attempting to catch up with Harry. Hailey felt anguished, she had to play the mature level headed one for once and it was eating her up inside.

Leo and Raph looked up at a large abandoned hotel complex, which was glowing a deep shade of red, with a loud humming sound.

"So, that's where these Tricecreeps are hoarding all of that energy," replied Raph.

"Now, we need to get in and find the device," declared Leo.

"And then what?" asked Raph. "Try and shut it down

"Do I look like Donatello?" asked Leo.

"No, mask's the wrong color," remarked Raph calmly, with a bit of a grin

"Anyway, we'll worry about how to shut the Doomsday Device once we get inside," declared Leo. "Of course, I wonder exactly how do we get inside?"

"I vote for a full frontal assault," replied Raph and without preamble, he rushed forward, with his Sais aimed, but he ran headlong into a wall of red light, knocked backwards and slid to the ground.

Raph pulled himself to his feet shakily.

"Figures those goons would put in a force field protecting the joint," grunted Raph before turning to Leo. "Now what, fearless leader?"

"We break in from underneath," replied Leo, eying a manhole. "Come on, we don't have much time."

"Less time then you think, terrapin," growled a voice and a trio of Triceraton Gangsters appeared, holding laser blasters. "Now come along nice and easy and drop your weapons, or we'll smear your shells all over the wall."

At their hideout, a group of Purple Dragons were busy playing cards, with the weapon that they had stolen earlier in the day in the crate just out of reach.

"Boys, this was a great haul today, when we sell this baby, we'll be living the high life," declared Sonny. "Just as soon as we find a sap who is willing to buy a weapon that even we Purple Dragons are in the dark about."

"It blasted that meddling brat good though," replied one of the purple Dragons.

The wooden doors leading inside the warehouse broke open by a well placed swing with the Bo Staff and Mikey and Don leapt inside, weapons at the ready.

"Not more meddlers," declared Sonny, before turning to the other Purple Dragons. "Destroy those lizards!"

A quartet of Purple Dragons charged the Turtles. Don sprung up with his Bo Staff, wiping one of the Dragons out with a double footed kick to the face, causing him to fly backwards into a stack of crates. A second Purple Dragon swung a pipe at the Turtle, who ducked and broke open a crate, causing marbles to drop to the floor. Don tripped the hoodlum up, causing the Purple Dragon to skid forward, landing hard on the ground.

The other two Purple Dragons lunged at Mikey but the fun loving turtle leapt out of the way. The two goons stupidly turned around, before getting cracked straight in the mouth, causing them to thump to the ground.

With all four of the Purple Dragons dispensed, Mikey and Don rounded on the leader, who was a bit unnerved at having to fight two trained ninjas without any backup.

"What do you want from me?" asked Sonny in a terrified voice.

"You stole a weapon from a government truck and zapped our brother with it," declared Don, jabbing his Bo Staff into the chest of the Purple Dragon.

"So, cough it up or we'll going to have to knock you around," said Mikey calmly.

Sonny rose to his feet quickly and removed the laser blaster from the box, the blinding blue light filling the warehouse, causing Mikey and Don to shield their eyes.

"Oh, I'll give it to you alright!" declared Sonny, aiming the weapon at the Turtles before blasting it at them. Thankfully, Don, and Mikey had the presence of mind to avoid the laser striking them and dodged out of the way, causing the moldy wall in the background take the brunt of the attack and turn into wall that might have looked as if it was just built.

Mikey leapt up, cracking Sonny in the ribs with his nunchucks, causing the Purple Dragon to fall to the ground in agony. The weapon flew up into the air, before Don dove forward, catching it. Thankfully, the weapon didn't get damaged in the assault and the two Turtles left the building to the Battle Shell. They had a bit of a drive to return to the Potter residence from the hideout of the Purple Dragons.

In the sky, Hailey struggled to keep up with her brother as Harry dove and then shot up without any regards to the increasing winds that were picking up and she looked upwards at the storm clouds beginning to form

Harry looked quite at home flying in these bad weather conditions, because Flint had required the Slytherin Team to fly in pretty much any weather, no matter how bad it was. Hailey struggled against the wind as she was only a few dozen feet behind Harry.

"Harry, come down now or I'll…knock you off your broom if I have to!" yelled Hailey desperately, expecting to run into Muggle aircraft at any moment.

"As if you can catch a flying prodigy like me!" cheered Harry pompously. "I'm the best there is, and you can't out fly me!"

Hailey had to remind herself that the only reason her brother was acting like this was because his brains were temporarily addled by that weapon blast earlier in the day.

"At last!" growled a voice and Hailey cringed, as an air ship driven by Captain Dread flew, barreling towards Harry and Hailey. Hailey had to dodge off course, avoiding the heavy blasts from the laser cannon.

"Laser showers, the weather forecast said nothing about that tonight!" declared Harry with a frown, before brightening up. "But that isn't nothing that I can…"

Harry's sentence was cut off when he was knocked out of the sky by a Laser Blast catching the back of his broomstick. Hailey looked fearful as her brother hurdled towards a junkyard; she dove straight towards the ground as she saw Harry laying face first on the ground, motionless as if in a deep state of sleep. She noticed that Harry's hair was slowly turning back to normal and his scar reappeared on his forehead.

Captain Dread descended to the ground, standing over Harry, before pointing his laser blaster at his head, his disfigured mouth contorting in a horrified smile.

Hailey made a movement to go after Harry but she saw Harry's eyes flicker open as Captain Dread armed the laser. The blast went right towards the ground but Harry expertly rolled out of the way and Captain Dread blasted a hole into the ground.

"The hell…" declared Harry groggily, as the last thing he remembered he was chasing the Purple Dragons, before looking up at Captain Dread.

"I won't miss this time," growled Captain Dread but as he sent a laser blaster at Harry but with reflexes that were characteristic of the Boy-Who-Lived, a shield appeared in thin air, avoiding the blast.

Harry sprang up and caught Captain Dread with a double kick in the squarely in the midsection knocking him backwards.

"Look, I don't know who you are but if you think I just going to lay down and let you take free shots at me, then you've got another thing coming," declared Harry, as he countered a net shot at him with a slicing charm. "What do you think I look like? Some kind of fun loving buffoon who doesn't take life seriously at all."

Captain Dread rushed at Harry, converting his cybernetic arm into an axe as Hailey cheered silently. Her brother was back to normal and Hailey decided that she better sneak out, because she had a feeling that Harry might not be too pleased in seeing that the Black Phantom.

Metal clanged upon metal as Harry's blade struck with Captain Dread's axe arm, the two fighters stared down menacingly.

"You put up a false show boy, you are a bit more complex then I would have first seen," growled Dread, pushing Harry to the side, and swinging his axe towards Harry's legs but Harry leapt up and slashed at the back of Dread. "No matter, Captain Dread always wins; a mere child isn't going to beat…"

Dread was sent backwards with a high powered banishing charm and he struck hard against the fence of the junkyard. Harry eyed Hydraulic Garbage Compactor in the junkyard, an idea forming in his head. Captain Dread made his way to his feet, sending a laser blast, which Harry gracefully avoided. Captain Dread shot a series of arrows from his chest plate but Harry sent a large ball of fire from his wand towards the weapons, incinerating them on impact.

Harry sprang up on top of a pile, parallel to the Compactor and Captain Dread clicked his heels toward before ascending in the air towards Harry, spraying blue mist towards Harry. A dislodged car door was levitated in the path of Dread and the car door turned to solid ice before breaking. Captain Dread dove towards Harry but he missed his target slightly. He spun around angrily, diving at Harry, with laser blaster at the ready. Dread propelled himself towards the Boy-Who-Lived, laser blasting but Harry dropped down, before sending a jabbing motion with his wand behind his back, using a silent vanishing spell on the rockets in Dread's heels. The unsuspecting Space Pirate dropped awkwardly into the Hydraulic Garbage Compactor. Harry flicked his wrist, causing the controls of the Compactor to be activated magically.

A loud, painful scream was heard as bones and metal compacted together and a large compacted cube slid out of the Compactor, soaked in blood. Harry turned away, before looking down at his Firebolt. The end of the broomstick was blown off and Harry doubted it would fly that well.

Harry cursed when he realized that he had forgotten to take his Portus-Amulet so he couldn't get home easily. Eying Dread's spaceship outside of the junkyard, it was clear that taking the ship was the quickest way home other than Apparation and Harry hadn't quite gotten the hang of that particular form of transportation yet.

Leo and Raph ducked underneath the laser fire of the Triceratons, before Leo leapt up. Two swings of his swords disabled a pair of laser blasters. Raph threw his Sais forward, cracking the facemask of one of the rogues, causing the saurian to gasp, unable to handle the air of the earth. The third Triceraton grabbed Leo by the throat but Raph leapt up, catching the alien in the back. The saurian alien gave a growl, and threw Raph to the ground but Leo leapt up, slicing the back of the Triceraton. The alien gave a loud shriek of pain, before dropping to the ground, blood oozing from his back.

Raph and Leo exchanged satisfied looks before a stun laser struck them in the back of the shells. The two reptiles dropped down to the ground, as a pair of savage looking Triceratons stood over them. Seconds later, the unconscious Turtles were bound in shackles, and taken right inside as captives.

Harry sat in the living room of the Potter residence, with Hailey, Lily, Don, and Mikey filling him on what had happened in the best they could in the period between the time he was chasing the Purple Dragons until his fight with Captain Dread.

"Wait a minute, Triceraton rogues are here with a doomsday device and I go out to have fun, without giving a damn," declared Harry in a horrified voice. "That weapon must have scrambled any and all logical thought."

Harry reached over, to examine the laser weapon closely, particularly the blue light that emitted.

"Exactly as I thought, this weapon is infused with a small portion of concentrated magic," muttered Harry, waving his wand over the weapon. "When it struck me, my mind reacted as if it was hit with a high powered Confundus Charm, thus causing my mind to be completely addled. I bet my wand arm that Bishop had something to do with this little piece of weaponry, but the thing that matters is that it didn't have any lasting effects."

"So, how did it wear off then?" asked Hailey

"I'm not sure," answered Harry calmly. "Maybe the laser cannon that Captain Dread used to blast me out of the sky might have had the right combination of frequencies to negate the effects."

Harry just sighed.

"We'll worry about how later, we need to focus our attention on this Doomsday Weapon at the Triceratons claim they have at their disposal," said Harry calmly.

"Raph and Leo went to see if they could track it down," explained Don. "We should be hearing back from them soon."

"Unless they ran into trouble," remarked Mikey and as if on cue, a large, booming voice echoed through the air.

"Once again, we Triceratons would like to remind you that we have a Doomsday Device that will level your entire planet in less than thirty of your Earth minutes," declared a large, gravely voice through the air. "Your feeble attempts are laughable, as two of the terrapin creatures have attempted to sneak past our defenses in an attempt to disable our Doomsday Device. They have been captured and we demand the unconditional surrender of the other two terrapin creatures or your planet will be annihilated by our Doomsday Device."

Harry turned his attention out the window, at a large glowing red mass in the center of town. Instinctively, Harry picked up the experimental weapon before turning to the others.

"Let's go, we can take Captain Dread's ship there, there might be something that we can use to breach their defenses," said Harry in a calm voice, taking charge of an anxious situation like he had many times previously and without another word, Don, Mikey, and Harry made their way outdoors. Time was in fact of the essence.

In the bowls of the Hotel Complex where the Triceratons had the Doomsday Device. Raph and Leo struggled against shackles that bound them against the wall.

"I sure hope your brothers will come soon, I'm looking forward to watching the Doomsday Device blast you all into ashes," declared the leader of the rogue Triceratons.

"You crazy horn head, the Doomsday Device will wipe you out too!" yelled Raph angrily.

"No, I never intended to live past the detonation, unfortunately we were caught on the Triceraton Homeworld before we could properly set it up on the asteroid that housed the Senate," growled the Rogue Leader. "You see, this is nothing but a kamikaze mission, but since we can't blow up Traximus and the rest of those soft hearted honor blinded fools, we'll have to settle for you terrapins."

"Exactly who are you, anyway?" asked Leo.

"They call me Sargorth, I was once the Prime Leader's chief torturer," declared the Rogue Leader, Sargorth. "But thanks to your meddling, you put me out of a job. Not all of us agreed with the change of regime like Traximus and that traitor, Commander Mozar. It is quite the shame that they had a spy in our ranks that gave them intelligence our plans. He was killed of course but we had to flee the Homeworld and it is by chance we arrived on this miserable mud ball."

Raph struggled to pull himself free, in an attempt to attack Sargorth but the chains were extremely tight.

"Those other two meddlesome terrapins had best show up soon or all of you Earthlings will pay!" growled Sargorth.

Outside of the hotel, Captain Dread's spaceship appeared outside of the glowing red complex. Two Triceratons stood guard outside, looking up the ship. One of them removed a remote control, pressing a square blue button, causing a doorway to appear in the force field. Without a word, the two Triceratons exited through the doorway. Another press of the button sealed the force field.

The Two Triceratons moved forward towards the ship, with the exit hatch dropped to the ground, revealing a stairway.

"Captain Dread?" grunted one of the Triceratons poking his head inside the ship and getting cracked in the face with a Bo Staff by Don. The Triceraton staggered backwards and another vicious swing right to the chest knocked it to the ground hard.

The second Triceraton gave a surprised grunt before grabbing Don by the ankles and pulling him out of the air ship. The Triceraton throttled Don but Mikey sprung up, swinging his nunchucks and cracking the Triceraton right across the top of the head. The Saurian staggered, swinging at Mikey but Harry dropped down, cracking both of his feet down across the upper back of the Triceraton, causing the alien to drop to his knees in pain, before Harry spun around and kicked him right in the face, shattering the glass air mask onto his face. The air began to asphyxiate the saurian as it drew in its last several breaths.

Don turned his attention to the force field around the building with a fascinated look on his face.

"Fascinating," remarked Don. "It looks that nothing can penetrate it."

"Except this that is," replied Harry calmly, picking up the remote control device the Triceratons used earlier and pressed the button. The doorway materialized within the force field. "We'll rush them through the front door."

"Harry, you know, wouldn't it make more sense to try and sneak in another way then just calmly walking in the front way?" asked Mikey in a confused voice.

"In theory yes, but they would expect someone to try and sneak in," declared Harry. "Us just walking inside without any ninja trickery would be something that they might not expect us to do."

Don and Mikey nodded as they followed their youngest brother inside, hoping they could reach the Doomsday Device in time.

Inside the room with the Doomsday Device, Sargorth tapped his foot impatiently.

"The other two had better show their faces rather quickly or this planet will be charred to a crisp," grunted Sargorth.

Raph attempted to vainly pull his arm loose and Leo seemed to be trying to find a way to weaken the shackles by rubbing it against the wall behind him.

Sargorth stepped forward to give the ten minute warning to the people of Earth but the door leading to the Doomsday Device room blasted off its hinges. Sargorth whipped out a laser blaster, slicing the door in half.

He saw the forms of Mikey, Don, and Harry standing in the door, weapons at the ready.

"I don't know how you've reached this place, but you won't stop me!" yelled Sargorth, sending two sharp laser blasts towards Mikey, Don, and Harry who scattered to avoid being blasted.

Harry dodged to the side, sending a slicing spell towards the shackles binding Leo and Raph to the walls. Leo and Raph, happy to be free, quickly grabbed their weapons and surrounded Sargorth, who whipped out a remote control device.

"Don't move or I'll use this auto destruct button to accelerate the countdown process, which will activate the device in a blink of an eye!" growled Sargorth in a dangerous voice, waving the device.

The Four Turtles looked on desperately, as Earth's hopes began to slip away.

Harry however, calmly pulled the experimental weapon that had addled his brains and altered his personality, before pointing it at Sargorth and pressing the activation trigger. A steady stream of blue light illuminated the Triceraton rogue leader in the blink of an eye, causing a blank look to appear in his lives.

"Now listen here," said Harry in a calm voice, as the others exchanged worried looks. "That Doomsday Device right here is going to destroy us all unless it is deactivated."

"That's wretched!" responded Sargorth in a high pitched voice that sounded strange coming from a Triceraton. "Whoever set up a device like that is wretched. I'm going to do my civic duty and dismantle it at once, so no one can ever be hurt by that again."

The rogue leader walked over, as it began to dawn on the four Turtles what happened and they turned to Harry.

"Harry, that was absolute genius," praised Don, but their attention was diverting by a loud humming sound on the weapon in Harry's hand.

"Now what," grumbled Raph.

"Oh Merlin's pants, this weapon is not completely stabilized," exclaimed Harry in a fearful voice, as the blue tube began to turn from green to black to red all the way to purple.

"Merlin's pants?" asked Mikey in a quizzical voice. "That's the best you can come up with?"

Harry just waved off his brother's criticism.

"If the Doomsday Device wouldn't have wiped us out, this thing just might," declared Harry in a frantic voice as it continued to flash wildly.

Sargorth stood up, the Doomsday Device having been completely dismantled and the red glowing on the walls began to slowly fade from existence.

"The Doomsday Device will never harm a living soul," declared Sargorth in a cheerful tone.

"Excellent, now summon your fellow Triceratons, quickly," ordered Harry and Sargorth hastened to obey, as Harry cautiously tapped the side of the light tube of concentrated magic, which was now glowing a bright orange. A couple of quick taps on the light tube slowly restored it blue.

A group of rogue Triceratons appeared, pointing their laser blasters at Harry and the Turtles on sight, but Harry aimed the laser blaster at him, engulfing the rogue invaders in blue light.

The Triceratons relaxed their positioning, looking completely docile and Harry turned them to issue final instructions.

"Return to your Homeworld and turn yourself into the proper authorities," remarked Harry calmly and the Triceratons obeyed before turning their backs on the scene and exiting the hotel, without a word. Harry was pleasantly surprised at how well his plan had worked, having made up most of it on his feet as he went.

"That's the end of that," declared Leo calmly, as the Triceratons were gone and the experimental government weapon had appeared to stabilize.

Unfortunately, this stability only lasted for a mere blink of an eye.

"No, it's not!" yelled Harry, as the humming in the laser blaster in Harry's hand returned and was louder than ever before. The others instinctively backed off, as light tube flashed with more colors then they ever could have guessed. "Stand back!"

The others stood back as Harry cautiously placed the humming, flashing weapon on the ground. With a wave of his wand, a large orb of magical energy encased the weapon. Harry stepped back as the weapon burst into flames within the bubble but there was no magical backlash as the orb contained everything. Harry took a deep breath in relief as there was not a trace of the weapon, magical or otherwise.

"That was too close for comfort," remarked Raph darkly.

"Indeed," replied Don.

"But how did you know that would work to contain the magical backlash, Harry?" asked Raph in a curious voice.

"Well, who would know what would work against my magic better than me," replied Harry in a casual voice, which caused him to earn strange looks from both Leo and Raph who didn't know Harry's belief about how that experimental weapon was created like . "Let's go, I'll explain on the way back my theories on how that weapon came into existence."


	6. Chapter 6: Hun on the Run

**Chapter Six: Hun on the Run**

Theodore Nott sat in a chair in his bedroom at the house that he lived at with his mother. The house wasn't Malfoy Manor by any means, but it was still a very valuable piece of property. The house had once belonged to Theodore's father, but due to the messy separation between his parents, Theodore's mother received half of all of the Nott family fortune, including this house and a few other proprieties, along with a considerable amount of gold.

The door on Theodore's room creaked open and the young Nott boy looked up to see his father enter his room.

"Father, what are you doing here?" asked Theodore.

"Theodore, you act as if it is a crime to come and see my only son," answered Steven Nott. Theodore decided not to answer that. Ever since his father was caught in bed with a woman that was barely out of Hogwarts, when Theodore was seven, he hadn't heard much, if anything, from his father.

That was until word reached Steven Nott that his son had become friends with Harry Potter. Then the older Nott seemed to be making semi-regular visits to visit his son, making light suggestions about the proper way for a pureblood to act and the proper opinions to have.

"Is your mother home?" asked Steven.

"No, she's out with friends, she won't be back for several hours," replied Theodore coolly.

"Ah, I was hoping so, I'd prefer to avoid any hostilities," replied Steven. "So tell me Theodore, have you been following the news lately?"

"I've heard a bit of it, yes," said Theodore calmly, having a sinking suspicion where his father was heading with this train of thought.

"Well, then you must have heard that Hermione Granger has been put in her place by some of the followers of the Dark Lord," remarked Steven calmly. "I had nothing to do with this particular attack but Theodore, I can tell you that the Dark Lord ordered this attack to send a message to Harry Potter, about the danger he is putting his friends in by merely associating with."

Theodore said nothing so Steven decided to continue.

"True, Granger was a Mudblood, but the fact she was one of Potter's friends caused her to move to the top of the Dark Lord's target list," continued Steven Nott. "It's a shame she survived, but she is currently in St. Mungos, slowly recovering from the damage done."

"I know of this attack already, Father," said Theodore, deciding to keep his tone neutral, even through he was outraged at his father casually talking about this incident.

"Excellent, so I don't need to elaborate further of the dangers of siding with Harry Potter as the Dark Lord continues to gain steam," remarked Steven Nott. "The boy has disgraced the noble house of Slytherin with his radical opinions, opinions that I fear might have contaminated you, which is unacceptable, Theodore. It is quite fortunate that any contamination can be and will be undone, when you accept the Dark Lord as the absolute power of the magical world when you come of age next spring."

Theodore remained silent, unable to find the right words to answer this.

"Theodore, I would hate to see my son killed because he blatantly defied the Dark Lord," continued Steven. "It would reflect badly on me as a father, so I am going to insist you make the right decision. Do you understand, Theodore?"

"I understand, Father," answered Theodore quietly.

"Very well, but if anything I am a fair man," replied Steven, surveying his son. "You have until the end of this coming year at Hogwarts to sever all ties with Harry Potter and his followers. If you chose to do this, then I welcome you to the ranks of the Death Eaters, where you will at last join your true friends. If you chose to stick with Harry Potter, that would be quite unfortunate and not only will you have to live with the consequences of your decision, but others may pay the price as well. Remember Theodore, make the proper choice."

Theodore watched his father closely leave the room. He stayed rigid on the chair for a few minutes, making sure he was completely gone, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his two way mirror.

"Har-" started Theodore, before mentally slapping himself. The last thing Harry needed right now was to worry about that he simply put someone else in danger just by existing. Hermione had suffered and would have died at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, had it not been for Harry's timely intervention. Theodore stared at the mirror for a few seconds, before gently placing it down.

Theodore knew he had to think of something to get himself out alive, but he was not putting himself under the service of Voldemort. Voldemort regarded his Death Eaters as nothing but mere tools. Theodore thought his father was a fool for not seeing that, after Lucius Malfoy was left in Azkaban like an afterthought. Still his father served Voldemort and followed his twisted ideals to the letter.

Theodore felt that his father wanted him to take the easy way out like Peter Pettigrew did and turn his back on his friends for a little power, but Theodore wasn't a spineless coward like Pettigrew was. He knew when to back down and when to step forward because of the cunning that landed him in the Slytherin House, but at the same time, taking the easy way out didn't appeal to the Nott heir.

In a high security government facility on the edge of New York, Karai slipped inside a half open window. The Shredder needed a very important alien microchip to carry out his plans, but much to his displeasure, the government had beat him to the device. The female ninja stuck to the shadows, looking rather wary of any defenses that would likely to be guarding such an item.

Moving down a hallway quickly, katana at the ready, Karai saw the microchip in a glass case through an open door in a room off to the side of the hallway. Quietly, Karai slipped into the room, before reaching the glass case containing the microchip. After prying open the case, Karai put her hand on the microchip. This simple action triggered an alarm, alerting those inside the government facility of Karai's presence. She quickly pointed a pen like device at the microchip and quickly ran the device over it, as the doors began to slide shut. Karai bounced off the wall, launching herself through the doorway just mere seconds before the doors slammed completely shut.

When she landed on the ground, Karai was met by a dozen men with laser blasters, lead by the sinister Agent Bishop. Karai stood, staring down the government officials with a decidedly neutral look on her face.

"So, I'm guessing you assumed that someone would come here to retrieve this microchip and set this trap," remarked Karai coolly.

"Actually, this is the trap," replied Bishop and at these words, a cylinder burst out of the floor where Karai was standing, with electric circling rings blocking Karai from escaping.

Karai swung her katana towards the rings attempting to break them, but instead, the blade of her Katana broke off, falling to the ground right at Agent Bishop's feet.

"Impressive how this little force field makes your katana look like a butter knife," said Bishop casually as Karai stepped dangerously close towards the force field. "Oh, I would highly recommend not brushing against that force field with any body parts, as it does slice through human flesh as well. "

Bishop turned to a wall pressing a button on it. The wall retracted to reveal a large view screen. Agent Bishop pressed a few buttons, causing the screen to come to life. In a matter of seconds, an image of Oroku Saki's throne room appeared on the view screen. Saki looked up with momentarily confusion.

"How did you gain access to this secure channel?" demanded Saki. "What do you want?"

"Good evening, Mr. Saki, or would you prefer if I would call you the Shredder," answered Bishop. "I have received intelligence that you and your men have been collecting every piece of alien technology left behind during the recent invasion that you can get your hands on."

"How do you know of this?" asked Saki, raising his feet and staring threateningly at Bishop who didn't seem too intimidated.

"I know many things about you, Oroku Saki, more than you want me to know at the very least," replied Bishop casually. "You are to surrender all the alien technology to me within the next forty five minutes."

"Or what?" challenged Saki, clenching the fists of his exosuit in anger.

"I will press the button that will cause the force field of this cylinder device to close in, slicing this lovely young woman, your adopted daughter Karai if I'm not mistaken, to ribbons, causing her to meet a rather messy end," replied Bishop calmly as if this outcome didn't bother him, before stepping to the side to allow Saki to see Karai's predicament. "Forty five minutes Saki. I'll be waiting."

On his end, Saki saw the view screen go blank, without Bishop giving him any further information. Saki rose to his feet, before power walking from his throne room through the doorway and down the hallway.

In another part of Foot Headquarters, Hun and Baxter Stockman were at work, doing backbreaking, manual labor as punishment for recent failures. Hun grunted, with his face having a nearly faded black eye and his right hand lined with scars, shoveling coal into a large furnace that allowed to the creation of many of the metal weapons used by the Foot. Stockman did much of the same, with a sneer on the holographic projection of his human face that floated above his android body, a harness fastened to it.

"Pathetic, someone of my genius reduced to such common labor. The Shredder is a fool to squander my talent in such a way," complained Stockman with a sneer, as Saki calmly walked into the room, Stockman spun around in surprise at seeing Saki entering the room. "Oh hello, Master! I was just commenting to Hun how therapeutic the work is. Truly a stroke of genius that…"

Saki pressed a button, causing the harness hooked to Stockman to send a painful electrical shock through the egotistical mad scientist. Stockman fell to his knees, screaming in agony as Saki surveyed him with an unfeeling expression on his face. After about a moment of shocking, Saki pressed the button again, relieving Stockman of the electrical shocks punishing him.

"I wish to speak to Hun," declared Saki calmly, turning to the man mountain. Hun walked over as Saki turned to address him. "Hun, I require you to do a task that is of most importance but with little time to carry it out."

"Anything you wish, Master," responded Hun with a bow.

"I want you to track down Agent Bishop," explained Saki. "He is holding Karai and I want her returned here."

Hun didn't look too happy about being forced to being forced to rescue Karai.

"I trust this isn't a problem, Hun," added Saki.

"No, of course not, Master Saki," responded Hun quickly.

"Excellent, Dr. Chaplin will provide you with information on the location where Karai was sent and subsequently captured," said Saki. "And be warned Hun, do not fail me this time. The price for failure you will be your life."

Hun gave an involuntary shudder at that casual declaration by his Master, before hastening to leave to complete his mission. Saki followed closely, leaving Stockman alone. A calculating look appeared on Stockman's holographic head.

"Hmm, it would be such a tragedy if something happened to Hun where he couldn't reach Karai in time and rescue her," said Stockman thoughtfully before adding in a sarcastic undertone. "That would be such a tragedy."

Stockman used the technology within his body to hack into the harness that Saki had placed on him. A couple of moments was all Stockman needed to disable the harness.

"As if such a primitive device could contain the pure genius of Dr. Baxter Stockman," proclaimed Stockman pompously to no one in particular, before activating another part of his suit, that began to hack into the Foot Headquarters computers to send out a transmission "Now let's see, if I can lock onto the right frequencies, I can grab the attention of some old…friends."

On the streets of New York City, the Battle Shell roared down the street, with the Turtles and Harry inside, with loud music blasting over the van speaks as they moved down the streets. A loud squealing sound echoed over the radio in the Battle Shell, before a very familiar deep voice echoed through the vehicle.

"This is Hun, I'm in position to leave with the device at the East River government facility," thundered the voice on the radio. "And with the modifications that the brilliant Dr. Baxter Stockman will implement on the device, so we can easily annihilate the Turtles and Harry Potter, along with their rat master!"

The transmission died as Leo, Mikey, Don, Raph, and Harry exchanged looks.

"There's something oh so phony about that message," remarked Harry as the others looked at him. "Hun's vocabulary was a bit more advanced than normal for instance."

"You have a point Harry," muttered Don. "Not to mention, I doubt it was a coincidence that it just happened to mention us and Master Splinter in particular."

"Yeah, it smells like a trap," added Raph.

"Be that as it may, it might be a good idea to check out this government facility, to see if we can find out anything regarding exactly what Saki is up to," replied Leo as he turned the Battle Shell around, driving towards the government facility indicated in the radio message.

Just outside the East River government facility, Hun sped towards the location in an armored assault vehicle, taking out the gate on his way through. This was his last chance to prove his worth to his Master and he mentally vowed not to fail. Hun looked up, seeing a large pair of helicopters descending upon the vehicle, piloted by Bishop's cronies.

The copters began firing on Hun, causing Hun to spin his vehicle around, causing the copters to give chase to him. The top of the vehicle opened, allowing Hun to spring out, clutching an orb shaped explosive device in his hand, before pressing a button, causing it to detonate fifteen seconds from now. With expert precision, Hun flung the explosive at the copter, causing it to blow the copter to bits. The second helicopter descended on Hun, but Hun rolled to the side to avoid the laser fire, before leaping back into his armored assault vehicle.

Hun jammed onto the gas, hurdling forward, before swerving to avoid the helicopter. The thug swerved around once more, before using a ramp to propel himself into the air, smashing into the copter slicing it in half in the air, but barely damaging the vehicle. Hun landed on the ground, his vehicle spinning around, as a dozen of Bishop's troops opened fire on his vehicle. The shots bounced off the armor as Hun recklessly blasted forward, attempting to wipe out many of Bishop's men in one shot as possible. Eventually, a trio of men with bazookas appeared, aiming them towards Hun.

A large blast ricocheted off of Hun's vehicle, damaging the side. Hun skidded out of control as another blast completely blew out one of Hun's tires.

"Ah crud!" cursed Hun, as he wrenched the top of the vehicle open as the bazooka sent a large blast towards him but Hun managed to tuck and roll underneath the assault, causing the bazooka to blow a hole through the fence.

Hun grabbed the man by the throat and flung him to the ground, before wrenching the bazooka from his grasp. The thug squatted down before aiming his weapon towards the troops. Several of the troops were blasted backwards by an expert shot from Hun. The others decided that a strategic retreat would be among their best options.

Hun advanced forward towards the entrance of the government base, stepping in the puddles of blood left in his wake. The door was shut but Hun gave a mighty bellow and rammed his shoulder into the door, causing it to burst open. Hun stepped inside the base, looking around for Bishop.

"Bishop!" yelled Hun threateningly. "Show yourself!"

Outside of the government research facility, the Battle Shell pulled out. The Turtles and Harry exited the vehicle, surveying the wreckage and broken bodies outside.

"Yep, Hun's definitely been here," remarked Mikey.

"He must have gone inside," added Leo. "Let's go."

And without a further word, the Turtles and Harry snuck their way into the government facility.

Hun tore his way further towards the government facility, as he spotted Bishop at the end of a long winding corridor, standing in an elevator. Everything of value had been moved from the building once his men had given him word that Hun had arrived and that included Karai.

"Bishop!" growled Hun angrily as he moved forward,

"Sorry if I seem a bit short, but I have a train to catch," remarked Bishop as the doors shut and the elevator descended to the subway station under the facility.

Hun threw the bazooka to the side before his hands clasped the door, attempting to yank it open but the four Turtles and Harry snuck in behind him.

"Alright Hun, you wanted to come after us, well here we are!" cried Leo but Hun turned to the five ninjas, surveying them as if they were a nuisance.

"Get lost!" bellowed Hun, stepping to the side and picking up a large metal canister and throwing it at the Turtles and Harry, causing them to scatter to avoid being struck by the heavy weapon.

Hun stooped down, picking up the bazooka as the Turtles and Harry moved forward once again. With a couple of blasts, Hun blew a large hole in the ceiling. A barrier of rubble prevented the Turtles and Harry from pursuing Hun.

Without a word, Hun pressed a couple of buttons, activating the elevator, with the idea to catch Bishop before he made a clean and clear getaway. Hun stepped into the elevator, before pressing a button, indicating that he wanted to be taken to the lowest floor, to the exit towards the subway station below this building.

Behind the rubble, Harry waved his wand, blasting pieces out of the way, clearing the path for his brothers.

"It's a lucky thing we have you here Harry, otherwise we'll be digging through this rubble for hours," said Raph.

"Never mind that, it looks as if Hun got away," said Harry, frowning deep in thought. "I'm now sure there was more to that radio transmission than meets the eye. Hun didn't seem too happy to see us."

"Yeah, if Hun came here for the express purpose of trapping us, he could have fooled me," added Mikey.

"Yes, but he did come here for a reason, whether it has to directly do with us or not" said Don logically.

"Yeah and I have a feeling we may find some answers if we follow Hun," concluded Leo and the four Turtles and Harry moved quickly forward once it was ensured that all the debris have been cleared away.

In the basement, Hun moved towards the train, watching Bishop disappearing forward. Hun grabbed onto the edge of the train, as it began to move forward. The mountain of a man grunted, buckling his knees, attempting to use his strength to stop the train from moving forward.

Sparks flew backwards on the tracks as Hun's efforts did impair of the train's movement in an amazing show of strength. A rocket launcher retracted from the side of the train, pointing at Hun.

"Ah crud!" yelled Hun angrily, as the rocket blasted towards him. Hun threw himself to the side toward the side to avoid the rocket, which blasted the wall behind him into smithereens.

The train began to move forward but Hun pulled a tracking device from his pocket and flung it towards the train. Just barely the device latched to the back of the train, giving Hun the opportunity to track the vehicle to its new destination.

On the other side of the blown up wall, the Turtles and Harry laid on the ground, having been throw backwards from the force of the missile.

"Damn, what in the hell is going on here!" cursed Raph angrily but Raph didn't have to wait too long as Hun came from the subway towards the basement where the Turtles and Harry stood in front of him, blocking Hun's pathway.

Hun's eyes grew wide and angry as he saw Raph, Don, Leo, Mikey, and Harry blocking his pathway out of the door.

"Get out of my way, you freaks!" growled Hun, grabbing a section of the floor and pulling it from the foundation before throwing it towards the five brothers.

Harry quickly pulled out his wand, blasting the projectile to dust with a powerful blasting spell but Hun had departed out the door already.

Hun quickly looked around, searching for an alternative source of transportation since his ride was totaled by Bishop's men. After about a minute of intense searching, Hun spotted the back of the Battle Shell open and walked forward, before spotting Raph's Shell Cycle visible from the back. Walking forward, the man mountain removed The Shell Cycle from the back of the vehicle.

"Well, maybe those Turtles aren't that useless after all," remarked Hun, as he placed Raph's helmet on his head before sitting on the Shell Cycle.

The Turtles and Harry exited the government facility just in time to see Hun speed off on the Shell Cycle, a duffel bag draped over his shoulder. A horrified look appeared on Raph's face, as he saw Hun leave with his bike.

"No, no, no!" yelled Raph angrily clenching his fists. "That pumped up oaf is taking my bike!"

"And he's wearing your helmet Raph," declared Mikey, before shuddering. "Nasty."

The Turtles and Harry scrambled towards the Battle Shell, with Leo in the driver's seat. Leo sped off, following Hun down the street.

Hun sped down the street on the Shell Cycle, checking the progress of Bishop's train. A security helicopter flew over Hun, sending a barrage of bullets towards the Shell Cycle but Hun managed to swerve to avoiding the first round of bullets. The copter pilot switched gears, sending a missile towards the Shell Cycle. Hun threw himself off the bike a second more the missile collided with it. Hun rolled to safety as the Shell Cycle was blown into several pieces, rendering it to a pile of flaming wreckage.

Hun rebounded by pulling the helmet from his head and throwing it towards the copter. The pilot was caught off guard by this unexpected move, allowing Hun to pull remove an explosive device from the duffel bag draped over his shoulder. Hun set the explosive to detonate in fifteen seconds, before throwing it towards the copter. The explosive detonated on impact, blasting the copter

Hun checked the progress of the tracking device that he placed on Bishop's train. It appeared to have stopped just behind the armory across the street. Hun rushed across the street as fast as he could manage. The window of time that he had to successfully complete his mission was rapidly closing.

Back at Foot Headquarters, Saki leaned against the wall, his arms folded when Dr. Chaplin approached him with a bit of a bewildered look on his face.

"Mr. Saki, sir, I reviewed all of the transmissions coming in and I found a strange anomaly," explained Chaplin slowly.

"Play me this Anomaly, Dr. Chaplin," replied Saki curtly and Chaplin produced a recording device, before pressing play.

"This is Hun, I'm in position to leave with the device at the East River government facility," thundered the voice on the recorder. "And with the modifications that the brilliant Dr. Baxter Stockman will implement on the device, so we can easily annihilate the Turtles and Harry Potter, along with their rat master!"

Saki stood silent for a minute, before putting two and two together as only the Shredder can.

"Stockman," said Saki coldly.

Outside of the Armory, The Battle Shell drove up upon the flaming wreckage that was once the Shell Cycle. Raph quickly exited the vehicle, looking absolutely mortified when he saw the wreckage of his bike.

"No, no, the Shell Cycle…HUN!" bellowed Raph, angrily before rushing towards the armory as the others exited the vehicle.

"We'll get him Raph but we'll do it together," started Leo but Raph seemed to have flown into a mindless rage and had nothing but gaining a bit of revenge on Hun for trashing his bike. Don, Mikey, and Harry exchanged exasperated looks before following Leo inside to join Raph.

Inside the armory, Hun stood face to face with about a dozen of Bishop's armed goons. Hun was armed himself with a machine gun and avoided the firing from Bishop's men, before blasting a barrage of bullets towards the goons, causing them to scatter. Those who weren't lucky enough to avoid getting shot fell to the ground. Hun marched forward, the machine gun pointed as he moved.

"Bishop, I know you're in there Bishop!" yelled Hun as he moved forward but his attention was momentarily diverted by a loud bellow of "HUN!" behind him.

Hun turned around and got both of Raph's feet planted firmly in his face with a double foot kick. The man mountain crashed to the ground, as Raph pulled him up, drilling his fist viciously into the face of Hun, breaking his nose.

"That's for stealing my bike!" yelled Raph angrily, before ramming another punch into Hun's face, blood splattering upwards from Raph's fist connecting with Hun's broken nose. "And that's for trashing it, you bastard!"

Raph pulled out his Sais, but Leo, Don, Mikey and Harry appeared on the scene, momentarily distracting Raph from his vengeance. Hun slid back, before kicking Raph viciously in the chest, causing Raph to fly backwards, wiping out his four brothers.

"FUCK OFF, YOU INTERFERING FREAKS!" growled Hun, before moving forward without another word as the Turtles and Harry scrambled to get to their feet, but Hun had already plowed through the doorway and moved quickly down the stairs toward the stairs, as his tracker indicated.

Hun reached the bottom stairway, before rushing towards the open train car doorway. Stepping inside, Hun saw Karai trapped in the cylinder with the electrical spirals spinning around her.

"Karai, how I dreamed often you would be in this position, moments away from a grisly demise," said Hun, before bowing his head seriously. "Yet, I find that my life hinges on my ability to save yours."

Hun stepped forward and Agent Bishop's feet flew out of nowhere, blasting Hun in the face, causing the large man to fly down to the ground. Bishop dropped down as Hun growled, getting to his feet.

"I've enjoyed this game of cat and mouse but I think it's time we'll be saying farewell, Hun," remarked Bishop as Hun made a movement to go after Bishop but the sinister government agent quickly dodged out of the way. Hun turned around and Bishop kicked him flush in the few, sending Hun flying out of the train car to the pavement below.

Bishop looked down at Hun, calmly readjusting his tie, before pressing a button to close the train car door and the train moved forward. Hun rose to his feet, before quickly rushing over and placing his hands on a pipe. With a mighty tug, Hun ripped the pipe out of the wall and rushed over towards the train before it left. At the last moment, Hun wedged the pipe in between the wheels of the train and the track.

Hun rushed around, as sparks flew from the tracks. He pulled himself to the side of the train, punching open a window, sending shards of glass flying inside the train. Reaching inside the train, Hun pressed a button, opening the door, just seconds after the pipe broke and the train continued its progress down the track.

Just before the train left the track, the Turtles and Harry managed to move their way to the top of the train in an attempt to fully see what Hun was up to.

Inside the train, Hun went after Bishop, but Bishop dodged behind Hun quickly. Hun angrily spun around, grabbing Bishop by the arms and pulling him back in a full nelson, attempting to snap his neck but Bishop jerked his head backwards, causing his sunglasses to fly off, catching Hun in the face and staggering the thug back. Bishop hunched down as he put his sunglasses back on, before pulling picking up a laser blaster. Hun dodged and ducked around to avoid laser fire from Bishop, before managing to grab Bishop's arm.

Hun bent Bishop's arm backwards, causing the laser blaster to fire out of control, towards the ceiling of the train.

On the top of the train, the Turtles and Harry had to roll out of the way to avoid being hit by the lasers.

Bishop's laser blaster brushed across the dangerous force field trapping Karai, breaking into several pieces. Hun grabbed Bishop and threw him towards the ground but Bishop swiftly landed on his feet right next to Hun. Hun swung his fist towards Bishop but Bishop grabbed Hun's arm and twisted it behind his back, causing Hun to drop to his knees in pain.

"All right meathead, you want to play," taunted Bishop. "Let's play for real."

On the top of the train The Turtles and Harry looked down, spotting Karai trapped in the cylinder with a force field

"Karai?" declared Leo in confusion as Bishop and Hun came into focus, with Hun forcing Bishop to let go but Bishop kicked Hun in the back of the leg, causing him to drop back down.

"Bishop," hissed Harry angrily, pulling his wand out, before blasting the top window of the train open and dropping down, kicking Bishop right in the face.

Bishop was caught off guard by this unexpected intrusion as he flew backwards but landed on his feet. The Turtles dropped down, with weapons drawn as Bishop stood in front of them, not seeming too surprised they had shown up.

"You know Bishop, you've got to be the only guy that I hate more than Hun," remarked Raph as Hun got to his feet but Raph grabbed Hun by the arm and flung the big man to the ground. "AND YOU OWE ME A NEW BIKE!"

Harry, Raph, and Mikey rushed forward after Bishop, as Don and Leo stayed behind to see how to best get Karai out of her predicament.

Mikey swung his nunchucks at Bishop but Bishop dodged underneath and grabbed Mikey before sending him backwards with a horrific kick. Raph threw his Sais at Bishop, but Bishop expertly caught them before throwing them back towards Raph, knocking him off balance.

Harry wildly swung at Bishop but Bishop dodged to the side and kicked the Boy Who Lived in the side, causing him to stagger. Bishop grabbed Harry, throwing him to the ground before he leapt over, knocking Leo away from Karai. Don swung his Bo Staff but Bishop dodged, before kicking Don and pulling his weapon from his head. Bishop twirled Don's Bo, before jabbing it in Don's midsection, knocking the Turtle down. Raph rushed forward, jabbing his Sai at Bishop but Bishop calmly used the Bo Staff to block Raph's swing, before bending down and casually sweeping Raph's legs out from underneath him.

Hun grabbed Bishop, yanking the weapon out of his hand but Bishop removed his tie, wrapping it around Hun's right arm and yanked him down forcefully. Hun landed on the ground and Bishop punted Hun in the side, knocking him forward.

Harry and Leo attempted a double assault on Bishop but Bishop dodged down, causing the weapons of Harry and Leo to clang together. Bishop sprung up, delivering a split kicking causing Leo and Harry to fly to the ground on either side. Bishop calmly stepped over, picking up a remote control and preparing to retract the force field to crush Karai but Hun was over in a flash, grabbing Bishop from behind. The remote fell to the ground but Bishop rammed his elbow into the gut of Hun, doubling him over.

Bishop grabbed Hun from behind, forcing his face towards the force field. Hun struggled as a few more inches and it would have been sliced to ribbons.

"Got to…save…Karai!" grunted Hun as Harry grabbed Bishop from behind, pulling him back and Hun quickly backed off.

Bishop blocked a punch from Harry but Harry sprang up before bouncing off the wall and flipping over Bishop. Another swing but Bishop dodged underneath and grabbed Harry from behind by the arm, before flinging him directly to the ground.

Hun pulled himself to his hands and knees, before Mikey stepped back, before using Hun's back as a springboard, leaping at Bishop. Bishop dodged to the side, as Mikey's nunchucks bounced off the ground. Bishop reared his leg back, kicking Mikey in the ribs. Raph rushed over, kicking Hun in the face, before going after Bishop. Sai jabbed towards Bishop but Bishop darted behind Raph before he knew it and grabbed Raph by the back of the facemask, before jerking him down towards the ground. Raph landed to a thud.

Meanwhile Don and Leo stood by the force field, examining closely.

"Leo, you need to slice the top…now!" declared Don and Leo sliced the top of the cylinder, deactivating the force field, as Harry went after Bishop in the background, stepping on Hun's right arm in the process.

Don, Leo, and Karai moved towards Bishop as well, as the battle between Harry and Bishop continued. Bishop blocked two uppercut punches by Harry, before darting behind the Boy-Who-Lived. The government agent removed his tie, before managing to wrap it around Harry's throat. Harry struggled for breath as Bishop yanked the tie, causing Harry to lose his balance and land on the ground. Bishop calmly kicked Harry in the side, before calmly putting his tie back on. Don picked up his Bo Staff and swung it at Bishop, but Bishop leapt up, grabbing Karai's arm as she swung a tanto at him. Bishop darted around Karai, holding both of her arms backwards, before forcing her arm to cause her tanto to clang against Leo's sword. Leo attempted to get at Bishop but Bishop expertly maneuvered Karai around, using her as a shield.

From behind Bishop, Raph and Mikey pulled themselves to their feet. Raph rushed forward, kicking Bishop directly in the back of his right leg. Bishop dropped Karai and Karai tried to stab Bishop with her tanto but Bishop barely moved out of the way. He turned around, as Harry leapt up, grabbing Bishop by the tie, before flinging him against the wall. Bishop barely managed to kick Harry off and a series of weapons, along with Hun's fists swung towards his head. Bishop dodged out of the way, sliding to where the Turtles, Harry, Karai, and Hun had all stood, ready to close in on Bishop.

"It seems as if the odds have changed," remarked Bishop as he rushed forward. Hun attempted to grip Bishop in his arms but Bishop slid underneath. Bishop picked up a briefcase as Hun rushed forward like an angry bull. With a swift swing, Bishop whacked Hun with the briefcase, causing Hun to fly into Karai, the Turtles, and Harry, knocking them over like bowling pins. Bishop quickened his steps, reaching the front of the train. "But I never do like playing the odds."

Bishop watched the Turtles and Harry shakily get to their feet, before addressing them.

"By the way, thank you Turtles and you as well Mr. Potter. The mutated DNA samples along with the sample of concentrated magical energy has put my research to create an army of genetically altered super soldiers ahead by fifty years," declared Bishop, before giving the Turtles and Harry a mock salute, before detaching the front of the train from the rest of it. "Chow."

They watched as anguish as Bishop made a quick and clean getaway. Hun rose to his feet, before looking at the Turtles and Harry with a purely homicidal look on his face, before advancing upon the five brothers.

"Now that Karai is safe, I can finish you five off as a little bonus for the Shredder," proclaimed Hun savagely, advancing on his prey but Karai casually kicked Hun out of the open door on the side of the train, causing Hun to fly from the train, nearly crashing against the brick wall

"Thank you," said Karai graciously, before she quickly exited the train,.

"Well at least she said thanks," remarked Leo calmly.

"That's all well and good, but Bishop got away," said Harry moodily.

"And even worse, the Shell Cycle got trashed!" added Raph angrily, twirling his Sais.

"Hey, Bishop might have slipped out away and the Shell Cycle might have been wrecked to pieces," remarked Mikey. "But, Bishop left us with this sweet looking train car."

"Can I keep it, Leo?" asked Don in a childish voice.

"If you can find a way to get it home," answered Leo in an exasperated voice.

Back at Foot Headquarters, Karai, Hun, Stockman, and Chaplin were in Saki's throne room.

"Thank you for sending Hun, Master," said Karai. "If he hadn't arrived in time, I might not be here at this moment."

"I live to serve you Master," added Hun sycophantically.

"Good, as long as you serve me well, then you shall live," responded Saki curtly before turning to Karai. "Karai did you retrieve the microchip?"

"No, I'm afraid I didn't but I did retrieve a detailed scan of the microchip," answered Karai. "Using that information, we should be able to create an exact replica with a minimum of difficulty."

"Which is why I'm here!" injected Stockman pompously. "You have finally decided to use my untapped genius to its fullest potential. It is quite fortunate that you have seen the error in your…"

"No, that's why Dr. Chaplin is here, Stockman, he will be the one constructing the replica of the microchip," declared Saki coldly, causing Stockman to step back. "I have called you here so you can explain an unauthorized transmission that left this facility earlier in the day."

"Sir, I can explain," begged Stockman as two Foot Ninjas grabbed Stockman from behind, holding his arms behind and dragged him from the room with Saki following them with Stockman attempting to vainly explain to Saki.

Stockman's loud screams of agony were heard briefly by those inside Foot Headquarters, before the scene in the building grew eerily quiet.


	7. Chapter 7: The Crux of the Matter

**Chapter Seven: The Crux of the Matter**

At the Potter Residence in New York, Harry and Lily were pouring over what was dozen upon dozens pieces of parchment.

"Mum, everything that I can see indicates that there is a strong quantity of dark magic coming from Little Hangleton," remarked Harry. "In the general area of that rundown shack that the Gaunt family lived in for generations."

"Voldemort stole the ring there from Morfin Gaunt," responded Lily slowly, remembering. "Voldemort used his father's death to make the ring into a Horcrux and then must have hidden it somewhere in the shack after the Ministry officials cleared out of the area."

Harry had a pretty good idea that might have been the case, but he wanted to be entirely sure. Still, the readings around that area were of high levels of dark magic and the only thing that could generate those particular levels of dark magic would be a Horcrux. Still there was something that caught Harry's attention when he was looking through the papers.

"Three deaths around the general area of the house over the past fifty years," read Harry. "Two deaths were by strangulation of some sort and the third death was by severe blunt force trauma to the back of the neck. It also says the third victim's face was nearly mangled beyond recognition. All three were Muggles it also says."

"Muggles that no doubt found themselves unfortunate enough to stagger into their doom and had no way to defend themselves against the magical defenses Voldemort had put around the parameter of the shack to protect his Horcrux," replied Lily. "I doubt they even made it through the front door."

Lily sighed, going over something in her mind.

"We need to proceed with caution when we try and retrieve the Horcrux as soon as possible but its very dangerous business," remarked Lily. "Who knows what Voldemort's demented mind will concoct."

"Yes, be ready for anything and with Voldemort, the word "anything" has never led to a list that each idea is more horrifying then the last," remarked Harry. "Still, at least we know precisely where one of Voldemort's Horcruxes is."

"I just wish we knew exactly what we were up against, but it's impossible to get close without going inside," added Lily.

"Well, that's exactly what I'm gong to do right now," declared Harry which caused his mother to give him a surprised glance and Harry decided to elaborate. "I know where this particular Horcrux is, there isn't any point sitting around and waiting. Every day that passes is a day that Voldemort has to gain more power, recruit more warm bodies for his plans. If the Horcrux is snatched, I'll be a third of a way from being able to put Voldemort's soul back together with both the locket and the ring in my possession. I mean, I need to get the remnants of the diary, the Ravenclaw Pensieve, the Hufflepuff Cup, and…that final Horcrux, the one that we don't have any earthly idea exactly what it is."

"We'll worry about what that final Horcrux is when we get all of the others, Harry," said Lily. "Of course, getting the Horcrux and putting Voldemort's soul back together will be much easier then putting an end to Voldemort once and for all."

"Unfortunately," answered Harry darkly. "Voldemort will be more dangerous now once he realizes he is no longer immortal, when his anchors to immortality have been eliminated. Not, that Voldemort needs to be any more dangerous, but his desperation will make him one of the toughest battles of my entire life."

Harry sat in thought for what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only a matter of seconds.

"There is really no point in delaying this journey," continued Harry. "I know we were supposed to go to the Burrow this evening, but this needs to be done right now because there isn't too much more I can be prepared. Mum, I'll meet you and Hailey at the Burrow once I've disabled all the protections around the Gaunt shack and got the ring safely out of there, to back here."

"Harry, you can't be thinking about going after one of Voldemort's Horcruxes by yourself. I strictly forbid it," declared Lily in a stern voice, causing Harry to open his mouth but she quickly proceeded before Harry could retort. "If you're going after the Horcrux, I'm going to come with you. I might be of some assistance with my past as an Unspeakable at the Department of Mysteries."

Harry nodded in agreement, but rather reluctantly. While Harry admitted that his mother knew quite a bit more than most because of her years upon years as an Unspeakable, Harry was very reluctant to put anyone else in danger anymore then he had to. Still, Harry also had to admit that his chances to getting out alive with the Horcrux were increased with the help of his mother, then if he went in there alone with no help whatsoever.

"I do agree that if we get the Horcrux out right now, that we'll be one step closer from ridding ourselves of the terror of Voldemort," added Lily. "Through even with a second Horcrux of Voldemort in our grasp, it could be years yet before we get close enough to eliminate Voldemort. Not to mention, if we look at the true Prophecy and assume things will happen to the letter, there is still three more confrontations between you and Voldemort before it's all over."

"Fate is something that I really judge with several grains of salt," replied Harry calmly. "I haven't still seen that ultimate evil that the prophecy talks about. The same ultimate evil that could put the entire world in peril. A peril that is allegedly supposed to come to a height between the sixth and seventh battles. I would think that is supposed to be that evil would give some hint by now."

"Maybe," answered Lily in a skeptical voice. "Still, there are events detailed in the Prophecy that have definitely happened since it was given. The road to get to the final conclusion, the battle with the fate of the world in hand might not play out exactly how the Prophecy had noted, but there's a pretty good chance that this great evil may still show up sooner then we would like."

"I really hope not," replied Harry barely able to repress a slight shudder. "Voldemort and to another extent, the Shredder are two problems that are enough to deal with. A third party, this great evil or whatever might be more then even I can handle."

"That's a bridge that the Magical World will have to cross when it happens," said Lily. "I'm going to send Hailey ahead to the Burrow and then we're going to Apparate just barely outside of the location of the Horcrux. "

Harry nodded before watching his mother leave the room. She would return momentarily and then the next step towards the demise of Lord Voldemort would take hold.

In her bedroom in the back of Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix Lestrange was in a rather foul and nasty mood. Most of it had to do with the fact that her nephew had already gotten it into his egotistical brain that he already had the skills to defeat Harry Potter. The truth was that young Draco didn't have the killer instinct needed to by the followers of the Dark Lord. He held many of the same beliefs of the Dark Lord, but Draco couldn't back up much of what he said with decisive action. At least Lucius, for all of his flaws, was capable in the art of dueling despite having the ego the size of Russia.

Lucius had taught Draco the very basics in dueling and had taught him for a few dangerous curses, but they were weak and ineffective. Draco would be blown straight off his feet if he fought Harry Potter tomorrow and the time on Draco's life was running rather short. He had just under a year to complete the assassination of Harry Potter but a small part of Bellatrix's brain, a part had not been ravaged by insanity, had deduced that her master had never intended Draco to be successful against Potter in the first place. Rather, the Dark Lord was using Draco as a sacrificial lamb, to test Potter, to see what the boy would and would not do.

Then again, Bellatrix doubted it was much her business to question anything the Dark Lord. She had joined the Dark Lord just before her seventh year at Hogwarts and had not looked back ever. Since Lucius Malfoy had disgraced himself into an Azkaban cell, Bellatrix was the Dark Lord's most trusted and most valuable Death Eater. Other than, and this caused Bellatrix a great deal of resentment, Severus Snape, a man that Bellatrix suspected was nothing more then Dumbledore's lapdog. Still, once again, Bellatrix knew without a shadow of a doubt that she had no cause in doubting the Dark Lord. The master had his reasons for everything he done.

Bellatrix did find some amount of satisfaction that unlike Malfoy and Snape, her devotion to the Dark Lord never wavered. She always stuck true to the cause, rather then crying Imperius to the Ministry or hiding behind Dumbledore like a greasy coward. She braved Azkaban rather than renounce her master.

The reason that she was sent to Azkaban in the first place was Bellatrix's fondest memory. It was the night that she, her husband, her brother in law, and Barty Crouch Junior attacked Frank and Alice Longbottom, torturing them to the point of insanity. This attack was just over a year after the Dark Lord had began his unintended sabbatical due to the events at Godric's Hollow. The Wizarding World had eased back into an era of peace, an era where they wouldn't worry about Death Eaters breaking into their homes and murdering their families.

Bellatrix remembered that particular night like it was yesterday. All three Lestranges had gone underground to regroup after the Dark Lord had gone missing, plotting their next move. They were joined some time later by Barty Crouch Junior, who had only joined the ranks of the Death Eaters mere months before that night. The four Death Eaters moved slowly around the country, staying barely ahead of Ministry Aurors who were rounding up any of the Dark Lord's followers that they could get their hands on.

Some time later, they had received word that members of the Order of the Phoenix had captured the Dark Lord, who was severely weakened from that night at Godric's Hollow but still alive. The Lestranges and Crouch Junior knew their duty as followers of the Dark Lord would be to track down their Master and free him, before helping restore him to his former glory. The fact that they also found out that only three people knew where the Dark Lord was being held captive made their job much easier. Those three were Dumbledore and the Longbottoms.

Attacking Dumbledore would be basically suicide, so an attack was planned on Frank and Alice Longbottom to attempt to force the whereabouts of the Dark Lord out of them.

_Snow fell to the ground on a chilly night in the middle part of December, outside of Longbottom Residence. A set of light pops appeared just outside the gates. A hooded, masked female figure with black hair slightly poking out from underneath the hood and mask waved her hand calmly, indicating for her three companions to join her. Looking around, the Death Eater raised her wand, before summoning the bolts from the hinges of the gate. The other two Death Eaters crept around the parameter with their wands raised. The fourth Death Eaters used a cushioning spell on the ground to nullify the noise as the gate clattered to the ground. _

_Mere moments passed as the other two Death Eaters returned from their stroll around the parameters. _

"_The wards are up Bella, we should be guaranteed at least an hour before the Ministry can soften them enough to break through," declared one of the Death Eaters. _

"_Very good, let's get this over with so we can find the Dark Lord and restore him to his former glory," replied Bellatrix in a calm voice, before motioning for the other three Death Eaters to follow her onto the grounds. _

_In less than no time, the Death Eaters had reached the front door. Bellatrix lifted her wand and pointed towards the lock, opening the door with a simple unlocking charm. The four Death Eaters slipped in, but a shrill sound, nearly like a whistle echoed through the Longbottom residence. _

"_They must have some kind of parameter spell, they'll know we're here," muttered one of the Death Eaters. _

"_That's just all the better, isn't it?" asked Bellatrix. "They'll have to fight us and there are four of us but only two of them."_

"_They're skilled Aurors Bella," replied another Death Eater with a slight whimper. "I thought we were going to catch them in their sleep." _

"_Are you a man or are you a mouse, Rodolphus?" asked Bellatrix calmly. "An Auror on their best day couldn't take me on my worst. I was trained personally by the Dark Lord after all."_

_A jet of red light flew down the stairs, causing the four Death Eaters to scatter. _

"_Immobilize, do not kill them under any means," whispered Bellatrix. "They know where the Dark Lord is being kept."_

_Frank Longbottom nearly flew down the stairs, sending another spell at one of the Death Eaters but it was deflected. The Auror did not give up the fight, sending a jet of blue light at his foe. The spell engulfed the Death Eater and sent him spinning like a top, nearly crashing into a wall. Frank ducked a jet of black light, before rolling underneath and two spells flew together in mid air. The third Death Eater ducked behind Frank and sent a spell right at his back, causing Frank to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Two wands were pointed at Frank's head but the Auror had the presence of mind to make a slashing motion with his wand. _

_A loud percussion sound echoed throughout the house, and the Death Eaters were knocked backwards. The third Death Eater had rejoined the fight and began to engage into battle with Frank. In the heat of battle, his mask split, revealing the face of Barty Crouch Junior. Crouch seemed to be enraged about losing his disguise and sent a three very lethal spells at Frank. Frank managed to dodge the first two and just barely conjured a solid metal shield to block the third attack. The spell sliced the shield to shreds and Frank attempted to catch Crouch off guard with a stunning spell in the confusion but Crouch avoided that attack. _

_Alice Longbottom had appeared at the very top step, with a horrified look on her face. _

"_Frank, they did something to the Floo connection to the house and they put up Anti-Apparation and Anti-Portkey wards," said Alice frantically. "There is no way we can…"_

_The stairs unexpectedly shifted into a slide and Alice slid down the stairs, where she came face to mask with Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix sent a jet of purple light towards Alice but a shield appeared, managing to deflect the blunt of the curse. The curse still shredded the shield into nothingness but Alice was relatively uninjured for the moment. The Auror regained her composure and sent a jet of yellow light towards Bellatrix. The Death Eater felt a searing pain on her arm where the curse had struck as if she had scalded briefly with acid. _

_Bellatrix saw red and sent a black ball of flames towards Alice but the Auror ducked underneath, looking frantically over her shoulder as her husband was battling three Death Eaters at once. _

"_No Lily Potter here to save your skin this time, you blood traitors," said Bellatrix sadistically, as she sent a large jet of fire towards Alice, who managed to cut Bellatrix's attack off in midair with a jet of ice cold water. "It's time we wrap this little duel up and get down to business."_

_Bellatrix shot a set of cords from her wand, wrapping them around the arms and legs of Alice, who struggled quiet vainly against the grip. She raised her wand to attempt to slice herself free but another Death Eater levitated her wand out of her hand. The wand clattered to the ground as Bellatrix gave her wand a little jerk, causing Alice to get yanked across the room as if getting pulled by a crude fishing line. _

_Bellatrix whipped her wand, causing thick cords to tightly bind Alice's arms and legs._

"_Alice, hang on," muttered Frank raising his wand and aiming his wand at Bellatrix but Bellatrix whipped her wrist, levitating Alice Longbottom in front of her as a shield and caused Frank to stop in his tracks._

"_Drop the wand," ordered Bellatrix coldly, causing Alice to rise slightly closer. "Throw it at my feet and there will be no need for your wife to get splattered all over the floor."_

"_Don't do it Frank," hissed Alice._

"_Shut it, blood traitor," snapped Bellatrix. "Well Longbottom, this offer of kindness is only good for about fifteen more seconds, before your wife gets flung all over the room."_

_Frank reluctantly bent down, setting his wand on the floor, which contradicted everything he had learned during his training as an Auror. The two Lestrange brothers stood on either side of Frank, pointing their wands threateningly at him, as Barty Crouch Junior calmly kicked the wand out of Frank's grasp._

_Bellatrix relaxed her hold on Alice, causing the woman to land on the ground, her arms and legs were still tightly bound. _

"_Our son Neville, he's upstairs, he's only two, please don't…" said Alice in a terrified voice. _

"_As long as your brat doesn't come down here and stumble upon our fun, there will be no need to kill it, Longbottom," replied one of the Lestrange brothers in a savage, unfeeling, voice. _

"_What do you want with us?" demanded Frank in a hoarse voice. _

"_You'll know soon but perhaps I should give you a small taster of what will happen if you refuse to hand over the information we want," responded Bellatrix in a cool voice, before raising her wand and pointing it at Alice. "CRUCIO!"_

_Alice bit her lip, trying to avoid giving her torturer the satisfaction of hearing her scream in agony, but her nerve endings began to sting slightly at Bellatrix Lestrange's assault but the curse was dropped after just a period of ten seconds. _

"_Now, that you've seen the consequences of defying us, you will tell us where the Dark Lord is being held captive," demanded Bellatrix._

"_I don't know what in the hell you are talking about," responded Frank in a confused voice._

"_CRUCIO!" yelled Bellatrix angrily, pointing her wand towards Alice and holding on the curse just a little bit longer this time. Alice couldn't block the effects of this curse this time and she began to scream in agony. After thirty seconds, Bellatrix dropped the curse. "Drop the charade Longbottom and tell us the location of the Dark Lord, or your wife will suffer even more."_

"_I honestly don't know what you are talking about," repeated Frank in a confused voice. "Voldemort's dead, anyway, he fell and…"_

"_CRUCIO!" screamed Bellatrix with more fury and more power, hitting Alice with the full brunt of the curse. Alice screamed at the top of her longs, her nervous system thrown out of whack along with her limbs twitching involuntarily. Her bound hands rose towards her face and looked to be seconds away from clawing out her own eyes, but Bellatrix let off the curse. _

_Frank Longbottom broke free from the Lestrange Brothers but Bellatrix raised her wand towards Alice's throat. _

"_One more step and I end it," threatened Bellatrix allowing her husband to shackle Frank's arms and legs together. _

"_Let's see if the little bird will sing," declared Rabastan Lestrange with a bit of a leer, as he looked down at Alice with a creepy look from underneath his mask. _

"_No, not this time, this is my fun, Rabastan," remarked Bellatrix in a threatening voice, causing her brother in law to take a step back. "Still, she might be able to blurt out something that her husband might not."_

_Bellatrix bent down, pointing her wand at Alice's head. _

"_Where is the Dark Lord?" asked Bellatrix, with a dangerous glint in her eyes underneath the mask. _

"_I can't tell you that," whispered Alice weakly._

"_Can't or won't?" demanded Bellatrix in a dangerous voice._

"_WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US!" yelled Alice angrily but since she was bound and couldn't do more then yell so Bellatrix jabbed her wand towards Alice's head, causing her to fall back and her eyes to shift to a blank, unknowing look._

"_What did you do to her?" asked Frank in a horrified voice._

"_Nothing lethal," replied Bellatrix in a neutral voice. "She'll just be nothing but a brain dead vegetable from this point on. Maybe, you should have told us where the Dark Lord was instead of lying to us."_

"_Voldemort's long gone," replied Frank weakly. "You can kill me, but that doesn't change anything."_

"_I don't wish to kill you, not yet anyway," answered Bellatrix before pointing her wand towards Frank. "CRUCIO!"_

_Bellatrix held the curse on Frank for quite some time, making him pay for his insubordination, causing the Auror to scream in agony in a never ending stream of agony. His arms and legs struggled to pull the tight shackles free. Frank felt several of his bone snap within the struggle, while becoming less aware of the surroundings around him. _

_At the top of the stairs, little Neville Longbottom appeared, looking confused at the sounds coming from downstairs. He had been scared out of his room and had bravely ventured outside to have a closer look. _

"_Mummy!" yelled Neville, as the child slid down the stairs, diverting the attention of the Lestranges and Crouch Junior away from Frank Longbottom. The young child bent over his mother, looking a bit confused. "Mummy sleeping?" _

"_No, Mummy's brain dead," cooed Bellatrix in a sadistic voice which caused Neville to look up at Bellatrix's skull faced mask and stepped back, looking positively terrified at Bellatrix's horrified appearance. _

"_Mean lady, mean lady!" chanted Neville but the two Lestrange brothers grabbed the child by the arms, holding him in placed._

"_Now, Longbottom, as you can see, we have your son so I suggest you tell us where the Dark Lord is being held," said Bellatrix as she looked down at Frank, who had a vacant look on his face, with drool flowing out of his mouth. "Well?"_

_Frank's eyes were out of focus, as drool continued to flow out of his mouth. _

"_Bella I think he's gone," declared Rodolphus in an emotionless tone. _

_Bellatrix pulled her mask off before ripping it off and throwing it down the ground, her black hair flipping recklessly to the side, as her eyes glared in complete rage, causing the small child to back off in terror, along with the three Death Eaters. _

"_No, he can't be gone, he folded to the Cruciatus Curse way too soon, I put too much into the bloody curse!" screamed Bellatrix, looking slightly enraged about her plans being halted before growing suddenly thoughtful. "His wife being tortured into insanity must have been too much for him already, but suffering the Cruciatus must have thrown him off the edge of sanity."_

_Bellatrix's face had a blank and unfeeling look on her face, before turning towards Neville who was slumped against the wall, sobbing and looking completely scared. _

"_Child, you're about to meet the same fate as your parents," said Bellatrix, as she raised her wand and pointed it towards the two year old but before she could proceed to do the deed, a loud crashing sound was heard. _

"_Damn it, the wards are down," cursed Rodolphus. _

"_Ministry of Magic!" barked a loud voice from the outside. "Come outside and drop your wands within the next thirty seconds or we will come in after you."_

"_We should have known, all the top ranking Aurors have parameter wards around their house that alert the Ministry of Magic of any intruders," said Crouch Junior. "My father told me as much." _

_The two Lestrange brothers and Barty Crouch Junior moved quickly into the house to find a way out but Bellatrix stood in front of the whimpering child, looking like she wanted to take her aggressions out on him._

"_Bella, we need to get out of here!" yelled Rodolphus from the other room. _

_Bellatrix paused before nodding towards the crying child._

"_Have a nice life, kid," said Bellatrix calmly before turning and departing, just seconds before the front doors broke up and a group of Ministry Aurors poured inside._

Bellatrix, her husband, and her brother in law managed to barely escape the Longbottom home on that night. Barty Crouch Junior wasn't so lucky and thus was captured rather quickly. However, the Ministry Aurors had caught up with the Lestranges the next morning and after a fierce battle where a fair few Aurors were killed, Bellatrix, Rabastan, and Rodolphus were subdued and taken to Azkaban to await a trial. Other then the fact that they were unable to find where the Dark Lord was and restore the Master, Bellatrix had nothing but fond memories of the night where the Longbottoms went insane.

Outside of the Burrow, Hailey arrived with Harry's Portus Amulet around her neck. She had her wand out, merely as a precaution. She had a funny feeling that someone had watched her when she appeared outside of the wards and had taken a bit of a longer route around on her broomstick to attempt to shake off any unwanted guests. The Burrow had been hidden from The Death Eaters fairly well, but some of Harry's paranoia was beginning to rub off on the younger Potter sibling.

With her wand still in hand, Hailey knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" asked a muffled voice.

"It's Hailey, younger sister of Harry Potter, heir to the legacy of the Marauders, daughter and Lily and James Potter, also known as Prongs," declared Hailey. "Now open the bloody door, I think I'm being followed by someone."

The door quickly opened as Ginny appeared on the other side, frowning.

"Sorry, but I had to check," replied Ginny, quickly shooing her friend inside, before looking around. "Uh, where's Harry and Lily?"

"They had some urgent business to attend to, they should be here soon," answered Hailey.

"What kind of urgent business?" asked Ginny, who looked suddenly worried, not to mention quite apprehensive.

"They had to collect one-seventh of something, naturally," answered Hailey, disguising the true meaning of her words just in case anyone else was listening from another room.

Ginny nodded, understanding immediately.

"You said you were being followed," muttered Ginny in an undertone.

"Absolutely, I took a bit of a longer route to get here, skyward in fact but someone is watching the general area where this house is," replied Hailey with a frown. "It might have been Foot Ninjas come to think of it."

Ginny looked completely worried at this news. The Foot had broken into Azkaban, a place that had been fool proof, with the exception of the escapes of both Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius Black. Even with all the increased wards, the fact that the Foot were lurking perilously close to the Burrow caused Ginny a great deal of concern.

The Foot thing was minor compared to the concern that Ginny felt about Harry going after a Horcrux. Even with his mother helping him and the fact that she had full faith in him, Ginny still worried of Harry's safety. She couldn't even begin to imagine what defenses Voldemort would implement to safeguard his soul but the possibilities were far from good. And because of experiences with the diary, Ginny also worried about the effects the Horcrux would have to anyone who came near it.

"Come on, Hailey, the others are in the Kitchen," said Ginny in an absent minded voice, her mind still solely on Harry's safety and hoping that he could make it to the Burrow without any lasting injury.

Outside of the run down Gaunt shack, Harry and Lily landed gracefully on their feet. Harry paused, looking around. The air had a chilly, almost foreboding quality that caused Harry to shudder and it seemed the further they moved towards the front door, the colder the air got and the darker it became.

When they stopped a few feet from the door, Lily raised her hand, indicating for her son to stop in his tracks. She studied the vines that looked to nearly be a part of the worn front door of the shack.

"Very clever, Voldemort," muttered Lily, looking on the vines. "Something no Muggle would recognize and most witches and wizards wouldn't think to check for Devil's Snare on the front door of a shack either for that matter."

"He put Devil's Snare around the entrance," said Harry, recognizing the plant at once. "That explains the two Muggles that were strangled. The moment they touched the front door, those infernal vines wrapped around their neck and choked them to death."

"Crudely put, but my thoughts as well," said Lily, raising her wand and pointing it towards the vines. Harry did the same and the two Potters had shot fire spells at the vines to subdue them.

The jets of fire began to fade when they hit a certain point and only mere sparks struck the vines. This action had the reverse of the intended effect, as the vines began to retreat off the vine and went towards Harry and Lily.

"Harry, move!" yelled Lily frantically but it was too late as more Devil's Snare poked through the dirt out of the ground, and ensnared itself around the legs of Harry, before creeping around his body and Harry's wand slipped out of his hand, before falling slightly out of reach. Lily found herself in a similar predicament, as the Devil's Snare wrapped around her, body, slithering dangerously close towards her throat.

Lily relaxed her body, but she found it very hard to maintain a state of relaxation with the vines crushing her body and sweat rolling down her forehead. Harry seemed to be more adept to relaxing. His eyes were slightly shut and his breath rate seemed to slow, as if not to give the Devil's Snare an excuse to wrap around his throat.

"Wandless magic, no good," muttered Harry slowly, using the minimum amount of breath possible, as the Devil's Snare had very little movement. "Voldemort obviously charmed this place to cause the effectiveness of our spells to lose power in midair."

Lily slowly moved her arm a fraction of an inch, her wand still in her hand. This would either work well or she would be strangled to death the minute she shot off the spell. It was a chance she was willing to take.

Before Lily could shoot off a spell, her wand shot right out of her hand once the Devil's Snare moved slightly up her arm. Lily looked on with despair as her wand, an extremely powerful wand that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin that might have been the only thing to bypass the spells Voldemort had used to enhance the Devil's Snare, shot straight out of her hand.

All attempts to relax had been thrown out of the window as the Devil's Snare had wrapped around Lily's neck. After all this time, she was about to die at the vines of Devil's Snare, a quite unspectacular death.

However, rather then her word going black and colder, the area around Lily's body began to warm up. She flickered her eyes towards the ground to see that the Devil's Snare that had wrapped around her was sliding down her body. As Lily looked down, she saw that the Devil's Snare was burning quickly reducing to a pile of ash.

Lily turned her head and saw that Harry stood there, completely free from the Devil's Snare, with her wand just barely wedged in between two fingers. Not only had Harry somehow found a way to repel the Devil's Snare, bypassing Voldemort's modifications but he was glowing orange.

Once the sinister plant had been turned directly to ash, the glow around Harry began to fade and one very confused Boy-Who-Lived had stood there.

"Mum, take your wand back," said Harry, slowly handing his mother back her wand with a bit of a frightened look on his face.

"Harry, are you okay?" asked Lily in a concerned voice.

"Your wand, I caught it and it seemed to activate my mystic abilities, causing the Devil's Snare to burst into flames," remarked Harry slowly. "It's almost like if instead of me using the wand, the wand was using me."

"I've used that wand countless times and that's never happened to me before," said Lily, looking as if she was in deep though. "It did belong to Slytherin before and while he wasn't completely evil, it's hard to deny that he didn't partake in some unusual experimentation."

"I'll be sticking with my own wand, thank you very much," replied Harry, as he picked up his wand. "I'm comfortable with it and I really don't like being controlled by anything wand, human, or otherwise."

"Still, it did help you save us from being choked to death by the Devil's Snare," declared Lily.

"No, I did nothing, the wand was the blasted thing that saved us," replied Harry. "All I was doing was thinking frantically about finding a way to dispose of the Devil's Snare."

"Maybe the wand picked up on your thoughts somehow and acted accordingly," suggested Lily with a frown.

"That doesn't make me feel much better," muttered Harry darkly, before deciding to change the subject. "Since the Devil's Snare is gone, we might as well proceed inside."

With their wands at the read, Harry and Lily moved inside. Harry raised his wand, opening the door. A loud creaking sound echoed from above and Harry would not have been surprised at the least if that house had caved in right then and there. It was quite the dilapidated place and the aura of darkness that was prominent outside was even more so when proceeding indoors.

Surprisingly nothing strange or out of the ordinary was met as Harry and Lily moved further into the house. They reached the kitchen which was even dustier then the rest of the house. As they moved forward, a rather surprising sight greeted them.

It was the Gaunt family ring, sitting on a table, in plain sight, with no visible protection whatsoever.

"This is way too easy," remarked Harry in a skeptical voice.

"Agreed," whispered Lily, looking around from side to side. "Better try and summon the Horcrux Harry, just to see what will happen once the Horcrux is removed from the table."

"Accio Horcrux," declared Harry and his spell had flown right towards the Horcrux but the ring had vanished from sight and a cupboard off to the side of the kitchen began to rumble.

Lily beckoned her son to take a few steps back as the temperature of the room began to rise to levels only found in the topics. The cupboard sprang open and what appeared to be a half inch section of black cloak appeared.

Harry recognized the beast at once. It was a dangerous but quite rate dark creature that was only found in the tropics. It was a Lethifold, a foul beast that smothered its prey its sleep and then digests them whole, leaving them without a trace.

Harry strained, not quite remembering exactly how to repel this beast. He was certain that he read of it somewhere, but he couldn't quite remember, something which caused him a great deal of frustration. The fact that there seemed to be some kind of fog flowing that slowly weakened Harry and made him feel rather sleepy added to the problems that plagued the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry saw his mother was having similar problems staying away and she slowly slumped against the table, as the Lethifold seemed to sense that it would soon have edible prey. An cloud of hopelessness plagued Harry, not that much unlike the one that he suffered when he came too close to a Dementor.

Then, the only counter against the Lethifold came to Harry in a burst of unexpected inspiration.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" yelled Harry in a forceful voice as a bright silvery raven appeared from his wand, hovering over the Lethifold. The monster seemed to be weakened as the spell backed it into its cupboard. The fog also disappeared and Lily looked up as the fog faded from the room completely.

"Patronus Charm of course, since many think that the Lethifold is a distance cousin of the Dementor, an unconfirmed theory but one that does hold some ground," replied Lily before a loud rumbling appeared on the ground below them. "Now what?"

"Mum, I'm afraid we are about to have a close encounter with the undead," said Harry, as he raised his wand and the floor cracked slightly towards the edge, causing over half of it to cave in and several pale, rotting hands to poke out from underneath.

Moments later, a group of five Inferi had risen from the ground, their undead arms stretched towards Harry and Lily. Harry raised his wand and shot a jet of fire towards the Inferi, but the undead monsters only stepped back a step forward before proceeding, with their arms outstretched. More fire curses flew towards the beasts, but it seemed that these upgraded Inferi wasn't as easily repelled by fire as many others of their kind were.

Lily found the hand of an Inferius wrapped around her throat. Harry was off to the side, barely able to contain the attacks of three more of the undead monsters. Lily managed to twist her wand to the side and send a very powerful slicing charm towards the thighs of the Inferi. A loud ripping sound echoed as the two halves of the Inferi blasted to either side, before disappearing into oblivion.

Three of the Inferi flew backwards from a very powerful fireball that Harry managed to muster from his wand. Their bones were essentially ashes and they were no longer a threat.

The final Inferius was obviously the least decomposed of the group and grabbed Lily by the throat before throwing the witch down. It reached its hand upwards, preparing to rip her to shreds but a spell hit its back and caused the monster to spin around, before mindlessly advancing upon a new target.

Harry sent a jet of fire towards his attacker, but it only stalled it momentarily. The Inferi gripped its hands around Harry's throat, and pushed Harry back against the wall. The beast bared its rotting teeth at Harry, maggots crawling from its mouth.

Lily looked from the cupboard to the Inferi, gaining an idea in her head. She pointed her wand towards the cupboard before levitating it into the air. The Inferi had made a motion for Harry, grabbing his ankle. Harry had pulled his blade out but he dismissed the idea rather quickly as the Inferius might not be effected when it had no flesh to slice.

The cupboard, containing one Lethifold landed on top of the Inferius, the weight crushing the monster and Harry breathed a sigh of relief but he had another question that was perplexing.

"If the Horcrux isn't up in the shack, then where is it?" asked Harry before adding. "It has to be here, it has to be, we didn't go through all of that for nothing."

"Don't worry we didn't, Harry," replied Lily in a reassuring voice. "The Horcrux is definitely on this property but since it's not up here it has to be below ground"

Lily surveyed the area of the caved in floor, looking down but seeing nothing but endless darkness.

"The trouble is, I can't see exactly how we can get from up here to down there," replied Lily.

"Well this is Voldemort, so maybe I can just hiss stairs in Parseltongue and a stairway will appear, leading us down there" said Harry with a bit of a skeptical tone, before adding in Parseltongue sarcastically. "Stairs!"

Sure enough, a magically concealed stairway slowly appeared, causing Harry to look baffled.

"Well, I'll be damned," remarked Harry with a surprised expression, as he surveyed the stairway.

"Once again, way too easy," said Lily. "Keep your wands ready Harry, I wouldn't put it past Voldemort to lead someone down a set of stairs and into a floor made completely of quicksand or something to that nature."

Harry nodded as he followed his mother down the stairs. The wands of both of the Potters was the only thing that had illuminated the nearly pitch black darkness. As they moved further down the stairs, they appeared in a large dungeon that seemed to be magically stretched beyond the abilities of the Gaunt shack.

In the blink of the eye, the lights from both wands went out and the dungeon was as black as night. This lasted for only seconds as the dungeon became illuminated by torches. Looking frantically from side to side, Harry discovered that walls on either side were covered in spikes.

Lily had a sense of forbidding and turned around, but the stairway that they had used to go downstairs had vanished and there was nothing.

Nothing was said as a large stone structure quickly rose from the ground, before it spun around revealing a stone statue of a snake that turned to face Lily and Harry.

"You have reached the bottom of the cavern," hissed a voice from within the stone snake. "None can do this if they did not have the ability to speak Parseltongue. Thus far, you have proven yourself to be worthy."

Harry stepped forward, facing the snake with an apprehensive look on his face.

"However, should you not prove yourself to be worthy, you will not proceed further," declared the stone snake with a venomous hiss. "You are to answer a question pertaining to the Dark Lord, one that only he knows the answer."

Harry understood the underlying meaning. This particular defense had been structured so only Lord Voldemort had the ability to proceed past this point and grab his Horcrux.

"Should you answer in error, these spiked walls will close in, crushing all that intrudes to bits," hissed the snake. "Magic is useless, as this room was designed to keep magic from being performed."

"That's why our wands went out," whispered Lily frantically.

"Now, you have but thirty seconds to correctly answer this question or you shall meet your doom," continued the snake before proceeding without preamble. "What is the precise reason why the Dark Lord had chosen the path in life that he did?"

"Because Albus Dumbledore had lied about not knowing about Lord Voldemort's link to Salazar Slytherin," hissed Harry in Parseltongue, quite relieved that he knew about this particular detail of Voldemort's life and could fool the defenses properly.

"Correct," hissed the stone snake, before the spiked walls and the snake vanished, revealing a large glass sliding door that extended from wall to wall.

On the other side of the glass laid a pedestal. On top of the pedestal laid the real Gaunt ring and it seemed to beckon Harry forward, much like the diary had when Harry had found it after Ginny had disposed of it. This had to be the one; this had to be the real Horcrux.

"Harry, be careful, I'm not liking how accessible this thing is," muttered Lily calmly but something seemed to tell Harry to disregard his mother's words and raise his wand, shattering the glass.

Harry moved forward, looking at the ring and Harry felt a compulsion to move closer.

"I can see your fears," hissed the ring and Harry blinked twice. "Yes, Harry Potter, I know that you dread the fact you cannot save them all, the fact that even your best is not good enough. I can see it all. I can also see that you desire a world where they are all safe and together we can make it happen."

Lily saw the unnatural, unhealthy look in her son's eyes and began to worry. As she moved closer, Lily felt the tell tale signs of an extremely powerful Confundus Charm and had put up her Occlumency barriers to block out the effects of the ring. Still, even with those precautions, she felt a slight headache. Lily saw Harry looking at the ring, nearly mesmerized by the ring.

"HARRY!" yelled Lily loudly. "Step away from the ring, it's trying to control your thoughts."

"Harry, listen to me, block everything else out your mind," hissed the ring. "I can give you what you want. I can give you the end of Lord Voldemort. I can give a world where all you love and care about is safe. I can give you whatever your heart desires."

Something told Harry that he shouldn't proceed and take this offer, but a soothing feeling eased all of his troubles away.

"How?" asked Harry in a slightly slurred voice.

"Put me on," replied the ring with a soothing hissed. "Once we are one, all of your troubles will disappear and it will be the end of everything."

"HARRY NO!" yelled Lily but her son's fingertips had already touched the wand to pick it up. Lily panicked and shot a stunning spell at Harry's back.

The stunner didn't knock Harry out but rather snapped him out of his dreamy state induced by the Horcrux. Harry withdrew his fingers, which were blistered from the mere contact of the Horcrux, and fell to the ground weakened.

"No, I don't believe you," replied Harry, who still felt a little light headed but no longer under the control of Compulsion Charm that was put on the Horcrux. "You can't give me this things, nothing can but hard word and dedication."

"I can give you all these things and more, Harry," hissed the ring. "I can save your beloved Ginny from certain death, unless of course you wish for her to perish."

"That's enough out of you!" yelled Lily angrily, sending a jet of purple light at the ring. The ring was engulfed in a stasis field and Lily looked down at Harry. "Harry, are you okay?"

"As good as I can be expected," muttered Harry, wincing as he nursed is severely blistered fingers. "What did you do the Horcrux to make it stop it feeding those dreadful thoughts into my mind?"

"Stasis charm," replied Lily calmly. "I didn't think it would work at first, but I had to do something."

"So all the magic is there, just frozen and unable to effect anyone," declared Harry.

"Until it wears off," replied Lily, who tapped her wand on the ring, scanning it for any other magic. "Interesting, in addition to the obvious Horcrux and Confundus Spells, there is a third spell in the ring."

"What is it?" asked Harry, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"A deadly curse that once the ring is put on, the curse would spread to the body to all the internal organs, shutting them down one by one, leading to a slow and quite painful death," said Lily grimly.

"So, it was rather lucky that you were here and stopped me from putting that ring on, Mum," replied Harry, taken aback slightly at how close he was to dying tonight, because of a simple bit of stupidity, of not using Occlumency to shut out the effects of the Horcrux. "Did you hear what it said?"

"Bits and pieces, I think because I'm also descended from Slytherin, I might be a Parseltongue, but since I've didn't know for years, I haven't had a chance to test my theory," replied Lily calmly as Harry slumped against the wall, looking and feeling like he had a horrid case of the flu. "I know some of the language subconsciously, but not enough to speak it. Maybe if I was face to face with an actual snake, but other than that I don't know."

Harry nodded, that made a great deal of sense.

"I suppose since the magic in the ring is disabled, we should get it out of here and put in with the Locket," added Lily, as she pulled out a small box, before levitating the ring of Gaunt inside the box.

At that instant, the Gaunt shack began to rumble, with the magically expanded dungeon beginning to shrink before the ceiling above them began to crack.

"Damn, the ring must have been magically holding this run down place together," said Lily, as rubble flew dangerously close to their hands, causing mother and son to get some nasty looking scrapes and cuts, before Lily managed to blast enough of the debris out of the way. The collapse was stalled long enough to grab her weakened son by the arm and use side-along Apparition to get both him and the Horcrux to safety just seconds before the Gaunt shack had completely caved in, leaving nothing but a pile of wreckage behind.


	8. Chapter 8: Shelling Out Disaster

**Chapter Eight: Shelling Out Disaster**

Ginny sat on a chair, facing out the front window of the Burrow, her worries about both Harry and Lily growing by the minute. Hailey had arrived several hours ago but there was no sign of the other two Potters. While there was no hint that the worst had happened, there was also no evidence that they had managed to get out safely with the Horcrux. Ginny eyed her two way mirror, but was leery in contacting Harry, just in case both him and his mother was in the middle of defusing a particularly dangerous protection about Voldemort's Horcrux.

"Ginny, dear, it's time for dinner," called her mother from the kitchen and Ginny rose to her feet, before walking towards the kitchen in a bit of a stupor, hopefully looking over her shoulder a couple of times as she moved towards the kitchen.

A loud bang from outside of the Burrow drew Ginny's attention away from her thoughts and this noise apparently caught the attention off those who were inside the kitchen. Ginny rushed towards the door, followed by Bill, Ron, Fred, George, Hailey, and her parents. A light knocking sound was heard from outside the Burrow.

"It's Harry and I, Lily," said Lily from outside the door. "Harry's in really bad shape, we need to get in right now."

Ginny reached forward and pulled the door open, as Lily walked in, helping her son inside. Lily had mild scratches and cuts on her face and hands, but looked to be alright other than those minor injuries. Harry's condition was a different story entirely. His face looked chalk white and sweaty, as if he had a horrible case of the flu and he could barely stand on his own power.

"Harry, what happened?" asked Ginny.

"I'll explain later," whispered Harry, looking at Bill, Ron, Fred, and George, along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He didn't want any more people to know about the Horcruxes than had already. While he did trust them all, Harry still wasn't going to take any chances. "I'm fine, just need rest."

Harry sank on the couch, his legs giving out from under him. Ginny sat next to him, with a concerned look on her face. Harry decided that it would be best to not tell his girlfriend about how close he had come to dying tonight.

"Anyway the thing we were after is safe and with the other one," added Lily calmly.

"The other one?" asked Mrs. Weasley, not able to help herself. "I want to know what's going on here. All Hailey said was that you were after something important, but she seemed to dodge around any questions that I asked, before telling me that Harry would tell me if I needed to know. Ginny said pretty much the same thing."

"Well, I'll tell you the same thing," replied Lily calmly. "Already too many people know about what we are after and we don't want to run the risk of having you captured by Death Eaters and having them torture any information out of you."

"Mrs. Weasley, it's important that no one knows that I'm collecting these things until I find the very last one," declared Harry in a calm voice. "All you need to know is that what I was doing tonight is crucial to my role in fighting Lord Voldemort."

"Harry, you're a child!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley in a complete horrified voice before turning to Lily. "Lily, why didn't you let him go after something that is obviously dangerous?"

"Harry was going to go on his own," remarked Lily calmly. "But I insisted that I come with him and I think it's a good idea that I did."

"The point is that Harry shouldn't have went at all, I can't believe you could have thought it was a good idea for a fifteen year old child to go after something that dangerous!" yelled Mrs. Weasley. "He looks like Ginny did after she wrote in that horrid diary. If he was my son…"

"Which, he's not," interjected Lily. "I appreciate your concern Molly, but I was under the impression that I was the one that carried Harry for nine months."

"I just think that your impressions of what is safe for children to know are a bit misguided Lily," declared Mrs. Weasley. "I doubt that a child should think that he should be the one to fight You-Know-Who. Harry could have gotten himself killed a dozen times over and you continue to let him do these dangerous things."

"Better to let Harry know everything even if it might be dangerous, then to coddle him to the point where he resents me smothering him, wanting to leave the house the moment he comes of age," replied Lily in a calm voice which caused Mrs. Weasley to suddenly look worried.

"You don't think my children resent me," said Mrs. Weasley in a frantic voice. "I really do mean the best, it's just that sometimes, You-Know-Who's out there and his Death Eaters…"

"Mum, we don't resent you," replied Bill. "It's just that you like to have a say in what everyone does."

"I know, I'm sorry," replied Mrs. Weasley. I'm worried that's why Percy…"

"I don't know why Percy did what he did, Mum," replied Ginny. "Don't go blaming yourself for every little thing that goes wrong?"

"Yeah, we get enough of that with Harry," replied Hailey in a cheeky voice which caused Harry to glare at his sister.

"Molly, I'm sure Percy will come around, it just might take some time," said Mr. Weasley in a bit of a forced voice.

"And if he doesn't, we might have to track him down…" started Fred.

"And have a little chat with him to make him see the error of his ways," continued George as both of the twins gave mischievous grins.

"You will do no such thing," declared Mrs. Weasley in a stern voice. "Percy has to come back around on his own."

"And Molly, I doubt very much your children resent you," declared Lily. "I'm sorry if I implied that, I was out of line."

"Lily, I do smother them too much, but I don't want to lose any of them," said Mrs. Weasley. "They are in danger with You-Know-Who out there and I worry that he might get them one day."

"I know that feeling all too well," said Lily in a serious voice. "Still, we shouldn't try and dwell on that too much, with tomorrow being Harry's birthday and all."

"Of course," said Mrs. Weasley. "Sixteen years old!"

"And if I'm not mistaken, by American laws, Harry is eligible to get his Apparation license," added Mr. Weasley nodding.

"Yes, that would be correct, Mr. Weasley," replied Harry. "They are a bit more flexible about underage magic too, namely that underage wizards can practice magic in the summertime. There are still harsh penalties of using magic in the presence of or on Muggles. "

"Wicked!" exclaimed the twins in unison.

"With that kind of unlimited responsibility, imagine the kind of pranks we could have developed in America," said Fred fondly.

"Yes, the untapped potential, sadly it was not to be," added George in a mock, remorseful voice.

"It's just as well, as you two flaunt the underage restriction enough as it is," replied Mrs. Weasley.

"It doesn't really matter anyway, as the Decree for Underage Sorcery is only strictly monitored in muggleborns homes," interjected Lily, which caused the Weasley children to stare at her in amazement. "The Ministry count on the parent's to enforce the actions of their children inside magical homes."

"All those years in the Ministry, and I never heard of that," said Mr. Weasley. "I suspect this is one of those things that only the families who have a high standing in the Ministry know about."

"Looks like that to me," said Lily. "Of course, they want muggleborns to be at a disadvantage because it serves their agenda that we don't belong in magical society. The problem isn't necessarily the Ministry, it's the people who are in the high level positions in the Ministry that are making the decisions."

"I thought the Ministry was getting better," said Ron, speaking up for the first time. "After Malfoy was found out to be a Death Eater, it looked like they were trying to make things right."

"That's what the Ministry wants you to think," replied Harry weakly. "There are a few people who are high up that are trying to make a difference, but there are many others who are trying to smother their influence. A few Death Eaters have been captured, but no one that Voldemort's going to lose any sleep over."

"Mostly new recruits," added Lily. "And there is sufficient enough evidence that makes me think that Voldemort wanted those Death Eaters to get captured."

"I agree," replied Harry. "Contrary to what the Daily Prophet has been spewing, Death Eaters aren't the only prisoners in Azkaban. There are other dangerous magical criminals inside that Voldemort might bust out in exchange for them agreeing to serve him. In essence, it would be useful for Voldemort to have people on the inside to help with a mass breakout."

"I'm sure we can continue this particular conversation at another time," interjected Mrs. Weasley. "Dinner was ready before Harry and Lily arrived. I think it might be a good idea to go and eat it before it gets too cold."

Deep inside his throne room in the bowels of his headquarters at Salazar Tower, Lord Voldemort sat with his snake familiar Nagini slithering lazily around his feet. Not much progress was made for his campaign in the last couple of weeks. Voldemort preferred to keep the Magical World guessing his next move, while launching attacks sporadically. All in the name of maintaining the atmosphere of fear that Voldemort had thrived on. Voldemort had not the resources to make his next assault. He had the knowledge to implement his plans with the scrolls, but he needed the means to channel great quantities of magical energy into an all out assault on the British Wizarding World.

"My Lord, we have her," declared a harsh voice from outside Voldemort's throne room.

"Bring her in," hissed Voldemort raising his wand before getting to his feet.

The doors creaked open and two Death Eaters dragged in Sibyll Trelawney, who looked a bit shaken.

"Really, is this necessary?" asked Trelawney in an agitated voice. "I was just having a drink, minding my own business, when you two grabbed me."

"Greetings, Sibyll," hissed Voldemort and Trelawney looked up at him with a slightly intrigued, yet horrified look on her face.

"The Dark Lord," breathed Trelawney.

"Yes, pleased to see that you've heard of me," replied Voldemort calmly.

"Then, you should be warned of some of the things I have seen regarding you," declared Trelawney in a dramatic voice. "I see death in your future, looming upon you like an overwhelming specter. The only way to save yourself from your fate is repent from your evil ways, before it's too late."

"I do see death, Sibyll," hissed Voldemort. "It isn't my death however, rather it will be yours if you do not give me the information I want promptly."

"What information could you want from me?" asked Trelawney.

"The prophecy," hissed Voldemort shortly.

"I beg your pardon," replied Trelawney.

"The prophecy that led to my downfall at the hands of young Harry Potter," hissed Voldemort.

"I'm afraid you must be mistaken, I don't recall ever making such a prophecy," declared Trelawney.

Voldemort grabbed Trelawney's face and forced it upward, looking into eyes. It appeared that someone extremely powerful had put artificial Occulmency barriers to block him from extracting the information from her mind. The Dark Lord doubted that she even remembered the prophecy, as the information must have been completely blocked off from her recollection.

"Very well, there are ways of improving your ability to recall the Prophecy," hissed Voldemort before pointing to Trelawney. "CRUCIO!"

Trelawney screamed in pain as Voldemort tortured her for a mere ten seconds. Voldemort had hoped that his torture would cause a shock that in turn caused the prophecy to spill out of Trelawney's mouth.

"Well," hissed Voldemort. "Would you like to tell me the prophecy now, Sibyll?"

"I still don't know what you are talking about," sobbed Trelawney. "Honestly."

"Very well," hissed Voldemort before turning to the two Death Eaters. "Take her to the dungeons and perhaps time will wear down her resistance."

The two Death Eaters roughly dragged Trelawney off, before Voldemort waved his wand, sending a black jet of light that resembled a basilisk out of his wand. The basilisk figure shot out the door and Voldemort waited patiently for several moments before Severus Snape made his way into his throne room.

"You wanted to see me, my Lord?" asked Snape.

"Yes, Severus," hissed Voldemort. "I need your entire stock of Polyjuice Potion."

"At once my Lord," declared Snape, wondering in the back of his mind why Voldemort wanted a large quantity of Polyjuice Potion. Dumbledore would surely be interested for something that peculiar.

It was very late in the evening at the Burrow. Harry had tried to get to sleep many times that evening, but he was always woken up moments later by his scar stinging. The last time Harry woke up he seemed to see a hazy vision of something very peculiar. Harry tried to remember what had happened but he only could manage to remember vague details. He could have sworn that he had saw Voldemort demanding that Trelawney tell him the contents of the prophecy but other then that Harry couldn't remember anything. Snape had definitely been there as well but other than that Harry was at a complete loss to understand why he had seen what he had seen. The truly horrifying thing was that Harry had never experienced anything like he saw before.

Harry absent mindedly moved towards the bathroom, for lack of anything else better to do but he stopped in his tracks at the sound of Ginny's voice.

"No, you can't make me do it Tom, you can't make me kill Harry," said Ginny and Harry quickly moved towards the room that both Ginny and Hailey were sitting out. "No, Harry, get out, save yourself, no, Tom, Harry!"

Harry threw open the door. Hailey, amazingly enough, was still sleeping but Ginny was tossing and turning in her bed.

"Ginny, Ginny, wake up," hissed Harry, reaching over and grabbing his girlfriend gently by the shoulders and Ginny's eyes sprang open, with a slight fearful look on her face but when she saw Harry, she felt relief.

"Just a dream" muttered Ginny as she sat up in bed.

"Ginny, would you like to talk to me about what you were screaming about in your sleep?" asked Harry calmly.

"Harry, it's awful, I'm in my first year and in the Chamber of Secrets again," replied Ginny. "Only this time, instead of using the Basilisk, Tom made me attack you. I tried to fight it, but he was too powerful. You tried to save me but he had me under his control and you couldn't hurt him without hurting me. You were killed in seconds."

"Relax Ginny, I'm still here, it didn't happen," replied Harry, pulling his girlfriend into an embrace but Ginny seemed doubtful.

"These dreams, I'm almost sure that they're trying to tell me something," whispered Ginny in a fearful voice before adding her fears. "Voldemort's going to kill you next time."

"Ginny, don't worry, Voldemort…" started Harry but he couldn't find the right reassuring words.

"Harry, you might not have told me, but you did come close to dying tonight," replied Ginny. "I put it together when Mum mentioned that you looked like I did when the effects of Tom's diary were wearing off but I sort of suspected…"

Ginny trailed off.

"I suppose it might be because of the bond, I felt pain and anguish a couple of times, that I couldn't explain," replied Ginny. "For a second, my mind blanked out."

"I touched the ring," muttered Harry.

"YOU DID WHAT!" yelled Ginny in shock and Harry felt even more than ashamed about being foolish enough to touch the ring then ever before.

"You'll wake Hailey up," hissed Harry, looking at his sister, who shockingly remained asleep.

"I put a silencing charm around my bed, because of the nightmares," replied Ginny quickly.

"Then how did I…" started Harry but before realizing. "That means I heard you inside my head."

"Perhaps but I'm still trying to figure out why you thought it was a good idea to touch one of Voldemort's Horcruxes," said Ginny.

"I managed to throw off the compulsions that the diary was given off, so I thought I could have thrown off the ring," replied Harry. "Unfortunately, Voldemort seemed to have made the compulsions on ring slightly more powerful, and it tried to plant some awful thoughts in my head."

Harry paused, before breathing calmly.

"If Mum didn't insist on coming with me, I would have died," said Harry. "The ring carried a curse that would have spread to my body, shutting down my internal organs slowly and painfully. I was seconds away from putting on the ring before she stunned me to bring me back to my own seconds. I can't believe I was so stupid."

Ginny shuddered at the thought, before pulling Harry closer, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss.

After about a minute, they broke, Harry feeling slightly better for the moment.

"The important thing is you're alive," answered Ginny before surveying Harry's face. "Harry, is there any particular reason why you were up at this time of night?"

"Voldemort," said Harry. "I had a vision tonight, that the only thing I can gain from it is Voldemort had captured Trelawney and is after that fake prophecy that Dumbledore had her concoct."

"Did she give it to him?" asked Ginny.

"From what I can tell, she didn't," replied Harry. "Voldemort didn't kill her, he really wants the prophecy but the other alternative is breaking into the Hall of Prophecy and stealing it from there."

"He still hasn't figured out it's a fake," said Ginny.

"If he's after Trelawney, I doubt it very much," declared Harry. "His actions made it an unintentional true prophecy in a way but if there was an older prophecy made first, it would invalid what it says."

Harry just sighed.

"You believe in neither prophecy," muttered Ginny in an understanding voice.

"Fate is a funny thing," said Harry. "It's only made true by the actions of people and not by any rhetoric whether be spoken or written. Unfortunately, it's alarming how much of the true prophecy has come true since it was made and whether or not the rest of it is true remains to be seen.."

Ginny couldn't help but notice Harry looked more worn down than ever before and he barely stifled a yawn.

"As for your dream, you did tell me you had dreams before about the Chamber after it happened," said Harry quietly.

"They stopped about midway through my second year, shortly before I got out of St. Mungos from when Dumbledore attempted to put the Imperius Curse on me," recalled Ginny. "Those dreams weren't quite as vivid or frequent. I can't recall what exactly happened in them. Now they happen every night and I could recite every detail."

"Ginny, just try and get some sleep," said Harry calmly. "I'll stay here for a little bit longer, to make sure you can fall asleep without that horrid dream recurring."

"Thanks Harry," said Ginny quietly, as her head crashed down onto her pillow, as she held Harry's hand. "Good night Harry."

"Sweet dreams, Ginny," said Harry soothingly, as he looked down at Ginny, her vivid red hair framing her beautiful face as she drifted off to sleep.

Harry yawned, feeling a bit tired himself. He didn't feel the strength to return to his own bed right now. Maybe if he laid down for a few minutes right beside Ginny and just rested for a bit, he would find the strength to will himself back to his room. Harry's eyes began to droop. It had been a very long day with the Horcrux and all. Perhaps he could rest his eyes for a few minutes.

"GINERVA MOLLY WEASLEY!" yelled a shocked voice. "What do you think you're doing, young lady?"

Harry's eyes flickered open and to his surprise it was morning already. It took his mind a few seconds to register that Mrs. Weasley was standing in the doorway, with her hands on her hips. Several seconds later, Harry realized he had fallen asleep in Ginny's bed, as his girlfriend's head rested on his chest with her arms wrapped around him.

"Professor McGonagall, the hippogriff ate my homework," muttered Ginny sleepily before realizing where she was and who she was with. "Oh good morning Harry, I wondered why I was so comfortable."

"Well," prompted Mrs. Weasley, who looked remarkably like a dragon at this moment. Harry wouldn't be surprised if she started to breathe fire.

"It looks like I was sleeping until you wake me up and Harry might have…fallen asleep in my bed," said Ginny before trailing off. "Harry, could you help me out?"

"She's your mother," replied Harry waving his hands, while searching his pocket for his mirror. Harry found it and quickly tapped it three times with his wand. "You're on your own, babe."

Ginny opened her mouth but Mrs. Weasley decided to start in.

"GINNY THAT POOR BOY WAS WEAK AND VUNERABLE AND YOU ARE CORRUPTING HIM BY LETTING HIM SLEEP IN YOUR BED!" yelled Mrs. Weasley. "HONESTLY, I THOUGHT I RAISED YOU BEETTER THAN THAT. WHAT WOULD YOUR FRIENDS THINK…"

"Jeez woman, take about ten years off my hearing, why don't you," grumbled Hailey as she finally woke up. "And I'm her friend and it's quite obvious I don't think."

"HONESTLY LIKE SOME SCARLET WOMAN…" started Mrs. Weasley but Harry decided that he had heard quite enough.

"Mrs. Weasley, shut up!" yelled Harry, losing his patience. At that moment Harry saw his mother appear in the doorway. Mrs. Weasley stopped, backing up a step "Ginny may be your daughter, but I'm not going to stand by and let you insult her, especially when you don't have all the facts."

"What's exactly going on here?" asked Lily who looked at Harry who was obviously very upset and then seeing Ginny who looked equally flustered, before realizing what happened. "I see."

"Mum, nothing happened, I just fell asleep, I swear on my honor that's all that happened," replied Harry.

"I believe you Harry," said Lily. "Exactly why were you in here anyway?"

Before Harry could answer, Ginny cut in.

"Harry had a nightmare," said Ginny quickly, with a pleading look in her eyes. "He couldn't get back to sleep. I overheard him pacing the halls and he looked very unnerved. I invited him inside to talk about it and he fell asleep after a while. I couldn't bear to wake him. You see Harry never sleeps all that much when he's at Hogwarts. I fell asleep and soundly slept until Mum came screaming like a banshee."

"Oh this is interesting," said Lily with a searching look. Ginny and Harry looked at each other, they suspected she knew they weren't telling the whole truth but didn't really want to press the issue too much. "It seems the bond between Harry and Ginny has decided to take their relationship to another level."

"What bond between Harry and Ginny?" asked Mrs. Weasley who seemed to be taken aback by this revelation.

"Ginny, you didn't tell your parents about the bond," muttered Harry.

"Ooops," said Ginny sheepishly. "Guess it slipped my mind."

"Ginny!" exclaimed Harry. "You would think that would be the sort of thing you would remember."

"I'm sorry, Harry, can you forgive me?" asked Ginny, looking up at Harry with wide brown puppy dog eyes.

"You know the effect that has on me," muttered Harry shaking his head, but there was a smile on his face nevertheless. "You know I can't stay mad at you when you do that."

"Why do you think I did it?" asked Ginny with a mischievous smile.

"Excuse me, but what bond is this?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Let's have Breakfast first," suggested Lily quickly. "Then I'm sure Ginny and Harry will help me explain the particulars of the bond."

Mrs. Weasley nodded, looking partially relieved that she would gain some answers in time, but a bit put off that she was being dismissed for the moment in her own home.

After an excellent Breakfast, Harry, Ginny, and Lily sat together, as Mrs. Weasley sent the others to degrome the garden. It seems that the time passed had calmed her down slightly.

"I believe I said we were going to give you some explanations about the bond between my son and your daughter," prompted Lily.

"Yes, I'm quite interested in this, because the only instance I've heard of magical bonds occurring were between grown witches and wizards that were married for several years and even then it doesn't happen too often," said Mrs. Weasley.

"This isn't your ordinary magical bond, in fact the bond that Harry and Ginny has is extremely rare," replied Lily calmly. "I've looked into it and its only been happened two other times in documented history."

"Its call a Compatibility Bond, Mum," supplied Ginny. "According to what Harry and I found out, we are bonded in mind, body, and soul."

"It's kind of complicated exactly how it works, Mrs. Weasley," added Harry. "Our magic is stronger then ever before because of the bond. We went through all three stages of the bond, the third stage completing the night of the Yule Ball."

"When you officially started dating," muttered Mrs. Weasley.

"Essentially yes," replied Harry.

"Okay, you told me what it was, but what precisely did you mean when the bond was going to take the relationship to the next level?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Molly, you have seven children, I think you can figure that out on your own," said Lily. "They said they were just sleeping and as long as they were just sleeping, there's no reason to get upset. I think Harry and Ginny are responsible enough not to go too far"

"Yes, but…" said Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum, you trust me, right," interjected Ginny with an innocent smile.

"Of course, I do, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley with a sigh. "But…"

"So if you trust me that must mean that you don't trust Harry, right?" asked Ginny.

"Of course, I trust Harry, it's just that…well…" sputtered Mrs. Weasley, who seemed to have been backed into a corner by her own daughter. "I suppose you want this arrangement to continue."

"I prefer that Harry gets a good night's sleep, without staying up all night," said Ginny with a smile. "I wouldn't want him to collapse into nervous exhaustion, so if sleeping in the same bed with him gets him to the night, I doubt I'd be doing him much of a service to complain."

Harry felt a rush of affection for his girlfriend. She was good at laying on a guilt trip and the reasons why she was sorted in Slytherin

"Ask your father," said Mrs. Weasley quickly. "I need to see how the others are coming along on the degnoming of the garden."

A loud bang sounded outside of the front door of the Burrow.

"Who could be here this early in the morning?" muttered Mrs. Weasley. Harry watched her leave the room before pointing his wand, creating a mild privacy barrier around the doorway.

"Okay, Mum, Voldemort has Trelawney and he's after the faux prophecy," said Harry without warning.

"There had been leads that Voldemort was after the fake Prophecy all year," said Lily. "There is a copy in the Department of Mysteries but security around the Department is rather tight these days from what my contacts have said."

Lily ran her fingers through her hair, deep in thought.

"Dumbledore wouldn't just leave Trelawney in a position to spill the prophecy," said Lily thoughtfully. "It's just not his style; he wants to keep Voldemort guessing as much as Voldemort wants to keep the rest of us guessing."

"Who knows anymore what Dumbledore would or wouldn't do?" asked Harry before cancelling the privacy barriers as Mrs. Weasley approached.

"Harry, there's a large crate outside for you," remarked Mrs. Weasley in a bewildered voice.

"The security system is here," said Harry in a mystic voice.

"Arthur mentioned something about a threat that you had warned him about but you said you would take care of it," said Mrs. Weasley as Harry moved forward. "I can't see why you can't put more wards up to correct any flaws."

"Yes, but the first thing about wards is, if you put more of them around a dwelling, the one's that you do have become less potent," lectured Harry. "Especially we'll need a Muggle repelling ward of great magnitude to repel the threat I suspect is lurking in the village. That would weaken the anti-Dark Mark wards, which would cause a huge problem."

"Wait a minute, the threat is from Muggles," said Mrs. Weasley in a frantic voice.

"Not just any Muggles, Foot Ninjas," muttered Harry, shaking his head. "I saw a trio of them lurking just outside of the wards in the village and they saw me. Thankfully, Mum put a Confundus Charm on them but when it wears off, they have a pretty good idea of the general area."

Mrs. Weasley looked utterly confused.

"Mrs. Weasley, I have a life outside of Voldemort and believe me, you don't want to know what I've found myself up against," said Harry.

"No, I supposed you're right, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley in a defeated tone of voice. "But, still, a Muggle security system…"

Harry looked down at the box and there were uncomfortable grunts coming from within, as Lily and Ginny entered the room to get a better look. More muffled noises echoed from inside the crate.

"Harry, there's not something alive in there, is there?" asked Ginny in undertone.

"Harry, we know you're out there, let us out," declared a muffled, irritated voice from inside the crate.

Harry just leaned towards the crate.

"What's the magic word?" asked Harry calmly, with a bit of a smile appearing on his face.

"Please," suggested a slightly force voice.

Harry waved his wand and the top of the crate sprang open. Raph, Don, Mikey, Leo, and Master Splinter quickly scrambled out of the crate. Mrs. Weasley just stood there, for one of the few times in her life, speechless.

"Next time, I insist we travel first class," said Mikey, shaking his head.

"Sorry, but that's the only way I could get you in without the Foot knowing that you're here," explained Harry.

"So this is the security matter that you talked to us about," suggested Leo and Harry nodded slowly.

"Now I'm not sure exactly how many Foot Ninjas there are, I just saw a trio of them lurking around the village," explained Harry. "As you can tell, I don't want the Shredder storming in here with dozens upon dozens of Foot Ninjas and having a nasty little repeat of the beating I received by the Foot during the summer after my second year. Of course, that's just a small concern of all the people I might indirectly put in danger."

The Turtles and Master Splinter nodded in understanding.

"Just show me where they are and I'll knock them around," said Raph, who looked ready for a rumble.

"You will not will be picking a fight Raphael," lectured Master Splinter in a stern voice. "Harry has only brought us here as a security measure."

"So, you must be Harry's family," said Mrs. Weasley, finally finding her voice. "I must say, I heard quite a bit about you from Ginny, but I can see there is nothing that could have prepared me to meeting you in person."

"Yes, I do apologize for the short notice of our arrival," said Master Splinter in an apologetic voice.

"At least you took our arrival reasonably well," chimed in Don. "Most faint straight away when they see us."

"Well, we are a little overcrowded but there is one place you can stay," said Mrs. Weasley. "The attic, there's nothing up there but the ghoul. Don't mind it through, its harmless, all it does is make noise by banging on the pipes up there."

"It can't be any worse than Raph's snoring," muttered Mikey, causing Raph to glare at him.

"I just hope that the Foot doesn't find out that I'm here but better to be prepared for something that isn't going to happen then not be prepared and pay the price," replied Harry, repeating what he had told Scrimgeour and Madam Bones during their last meeting a couple of weeks ago as regards to Voldemort. Unfortunately, the Ministry was still infested with Voldemort supporters on every level, many unknown to Harry. So it was being rather difficult to institute change, even through there were some who did want to do what they could to oppose Voldemort.

"Let's worry more about that later," suggested Ginny suddenly brightening up. "Happy Birthday, Harry."

Harry nodded in agreement, fully intending to enjoy his sixteenth birthday no matter what the cost.

**I don't know, but this chapter seemed to be a little bit of a filler chapter to me and thus took longer to write than I would have liked. Perhaps it was because of the lack of fight scenes. Anyway, the few chapters should be more action packed, especially when we get back to Hogwarts. **


	9. Chapter 9: Great Auntie Muriel

**Chapter Nine: Great Auntie Muriel**

Outside of the Burrow, in the early morning hours, Harry and Ginny flew over the house on their broomsticks. Since it was early morning, the chances that they were going to be seen by nearby Muggles were very low. Ginny had insisted that Harry have some fun instead of worry about Voldemort twenty four hours a day and Harry found himself inclined to agree, especially since he spent this time alone with Ginny. Voldemort was quiet, no doubt plotting his next move and Harry hadn't received any hint of what he was up to anyway.

Ginny was glad that Harry seemed to take off a few weeks to just relax. She had a feeling that sooner or later Voldemort would attempt to overthrow the Ministry and then Harry wouldn't have a second to relax. She was bound and determined that Harry would have as much relaxation as possible until that moment. Plus, Ginny found that Harry seemed much happier when he didn't have to play the role of the Boy-Who-Lived. She liked her Harry's eyes to be full of life, with a smile on his face, it brightened up her world.

"Harry, I bet you can't beat me to that tree over there," said Ginny with a smirk on her face.

"Oh really, I wasn't the youngest seeker in a century for nothing," replied Harry with a smirk of his own.

"On three then," said Ginny. "One, Two, Three."

Two fast blurs shot off into the distance, each moving at a high impact speed. Ginny and Harry seemed pretty evenly matched on their broomsticks, keeping shoulder to shoulder as they moved towards the tree. They both touched the tree at the exact same time. Harry and Ginny turned to each other, staring each other down on their broomsticks, before laughing merrily.

"Because of the bond, I think we're evenly matched," suggested Ginny. "Except for dueling, because Harry, I think you can still mop the floor with me there."

"Now, Ginny, you're pretty good and I do have a year of magical education on you," said Harry. "Don't sell yourself short, because you are still a pretty good flier. It's in your blood, just like it's in mine."

"Harry, Ginny," called a voice from inside the Burrow.

"Mum," muttered Ginny. "It must be Breakfast time."

Ginny and Harry landed safely on the ground before taking their broomsticks back into the broom shed and moving inside for breakfast.

With the addition of four mutant turtles and one mutant rat, the kitchen at the Burrow was rather crowded, even with Bill having returned to Egypt for a few weeks.

"The results of your O.W.L.s should be arriving sometime today, Harry," said Lily. "It took longer to process than previously because of all the turmoil in the Ministry."

Harry nodded, he couldn't help but feeling a little nervous. The O.W.L. s was the deciding factor of the classes that he could take during his sixth and seventh year at Hogwarts. Harry's perfectionist qualities required him to get no less than excellent scores.

Ron, on the other hand, looked absolutely terrified at the process of receiving O.W.L.s arriving.

"Ron, I'm sure if you studied, you did fine," said Mr. Weasley.

"You did study didn't you?" asked Mrs. Weasley, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"I actually worked hard this time, but I'm not sure my best was good enough," said Ron fretfully. "I should have paid more attention in class, because learning five years worth of material in a month is…"

"Ron, trust me, you couldn't have done worse then Fred and George," remarked Ginny, as she buttered her toast.

"Yes, but the large profit we made last month disagrees about how bad we did," replied George.

"Yes, five hundred thousand galleons," added Fred.

"Joke shop didn't seem to be too bad a choice at all," continued George.

"Did it Mum?" asked Fred.

"Yes, you seem to be doing very good but it might have been nice if had N.E.W.Ts to fall back on," remarked Mrs. Weasley in a weary voice.

"Now, Molly, the boys are doing something that they enjoy and are good at," said Mr. Weasley. "We shouldn't discourage their ambitions, even if they are a bit out of the norm."

"Yes, from what Harry has told me, the joke shop's wicked cool," replied Mikey, with his mouth full of sausages.

"Michelangelo it is impolite to talk with your mouth full," admonished Master Splinter before shaking his head.

"So, etiquette is not an area of the art of ninjitsu?" asked Mr. Weasley curiously.

"Unfortunately not," declared Master Splinter.

"Ronald, don't chew with your mouth open!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley.

"Doesn't seem to be too prominent in the magical world either," muttered Don.

"Mum tried, but with six boys, I think she eventually came to the conclusion that she was fighting a losing battle," replied Ginny.

At that moment, a pair of Hogwarts owls flew through the open window, one landing in front of Harry and the other landing in front of Ron. Harry reached forward, grabbing the envelope tied to the leg of the owl. With a bit of hesitation, Harry opened the envelope before slowly removing the piece of parchment. Harry unfolded the parchment before reading the following:

_**The O.W.L. Examination Scores for Harry James Potter**_

_**Grade Key:**_

_**O-Outstanding**_

_**EE-Exceeds Expectations**_

_**A-Acceptable**_

_**P-Poor**_

_**D-Dreadful**_

_**T- Troll**_

_Arithmancy- O_

_Astronomy- A_

_Care of Magical Creatures- EE_

_Charms- O_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts- O_

_Herbology- EE_

_History of Magic- A _

_Study of Ancient Runes- EE_

_Potions- O_

_Transfiguration- EE_

"How did you do Harry?" asked Lily.

"Not bad," replied Harry but Hailey reached over, snatching her brother's parchment and reading it.

"Not bad, three Outstanding O.W.Ls, Four Exceeds Expectations, passed every class in other words, I think you did more then not bad," declared Hailey.

"Good job Harry," said Lily. "Those are really good scores, better than mine in fact. My scores were tainted slightly by receiving a poor in History of Magic."

"Hey nothing wrong with poor," replied George.

"Yeah George and I got a T in that class," declared Fred shuddering. "Mum screamed until she lost her voice "

"So, Ron, how did you do?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"See for yourself," replied Ron who looked slightly relieved as he put his parchment down on the table.

_**The O.W.L. Examination Scores for Ronald Billius Weasley.**_

_**Grade Key:**_

_**O-Outstanding**_

_**EE-Exceeds Expectations**_

_**A-Acceptable**_

_**P-Poor**_

_**D-Dreadful**_

_**T- Troll**_

_Astronomy- P_

_Care of Magical Creatures- A_

_Charms- A_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts- EE_

_Divination- D_

_Herbology- A_

_History of Magic- D_

_Potions- A_

_Transfiguration- P_

"See, Ron, all you needed to do was put in some good hard work and many of your subjects drastically improved," said Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm surprised I didn't get a T in Potions," remarked Ron slowly. "Although, it is a bit refreshing to make a potion without Snape breathing down your neck like an overgrown bat, making snide remarks about anyone who isn't a Slytherin."

Ginny and Harry just exchanged looks before narrowing their eyes at Ron.

"Not, that being a Slytherin is a bad thing, it's just there are a lot of people that give that house a bad name," amended Ron quickly. "Unfortunately, I didn't see that for a few years."

"I just wonder when the book lists will arrive, they should have been here by now," muttered Mrs. Weasley.

"Everything's backed up because of Voldemort, not to mention that Umbridge debacle last year," said Lily. "They should be arriving in the next week or so."

"The Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher has to be better than Umbridge," said Hailey.

"I hope so too," replied Lily in a casual voice, having not told her children about her appointment as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher.

"You can't get much worse then that woman," said Ginny, shaking her head. "If it wasn't for Harry, no one would have learned anything last year."

After breakfast, Lily, Harry, Ginny, Hailey, Ron, Fred, and George were already in the garden, as the Turtles and Master Splinter exited from the Burrow. Don walked towards around the broom shed in the backyard, before wheeling out a catapult looking contraption that looked to be constructed together by several

"Okay, Don, exactly what is that monstrosity," prompted Leo.

"I have noticed that nearly every day this garden has to be degnomed," declared Don.

"Yes, Dad is way too soft on these pests, plus it's not like we can throw them far enough for them to get the hint," said Ginny.

"Yes, exactly, human limitations are a problem with degnoming a garden," agreed Don. "As Harry had pointed out to me, these particular pests get rather attached to a place and keep coming back, even after the degnoming has occurred."

"And you've found a way around that problem, I assume," prompted Harry who looked a bit apprehensive. "Exactly where did you find the junk to create this contraption?"

"The shed over there," replied Don.

"Dad's tool shed," declared Ginny in a horrified voice.

"That's a bad thing I take it," replied Raph casually.

"Well no, unless of course Dad took some of that rubbish apart and fiddled with it using magic," said Ginny slowly. "In other words, who knows what will happen?"

"Well Donatello, you might as well give it a test to see if there are any flaws," prompted Master Splinter in a resigned voice, as he leaned on his walking stick.

"Yeah, what's the worst that can happen," prompted Fred.

"Other than decapitation," continued George.

"Wands out," said Harry slowly before turning to his brother. "Precede Don."

"Right, let me just find a lawn gnome and everyone can have a closer look at how this works," muttered Don, as he bent down, picking up a gnome who put up quite the struggle. Don set the gnome down on the catapult before turning around. "So, I pull this level, which activates the makeshift spring and sends the garden gnome flying straight out of the garden."

Don walked over with a bit of hesitation, as all Weasleys, Potters, Turtles, and one rat held their collective breath, just as the intelligent terrapin pulled the level as the gnome made a ruckus. After a moment, the gnome was blasted out of the garden and sailed what seemed like hundreds and hundreds feet through the air.

"And thanks to the calculations I've made, that gnome will not put out anyone's window, rather landing in that wooded area across the way," declared Don, pointing out.

"Well that's a relief that it won't break anything," replied Mikey calmly but then sparks began flying from the catapult.

"You just had to open your mouth, didn't ya, Mikey?" demanded Raph, as he instinctively threw his Sai towards the machine but a magical burst of energy knocked the Sai backwards right into Raph, knocking the hot headed turtle backwards.

"Well that worked as well as suspected," declared Hailey as the contraption seemed to be spinning out of control."

"Shield the house!" yelled Harry quickly, taking advantage of the situation like he would and several wands put on a shield focused towards the Burrow and not a second too soon as pieces of metal began recklessly flying each direction, as everyone moved to take cover. Harry quickly moved in, pointing his wand carefully towards the catapult and before putting a stasis charm on it, freezing the magic in it, like his mother did with the ring Horcrux. Thankfully that worked and the catapult remained still. "There that should hold it from going haywire. The idea was sound but maybe if I take a look at it, I can figure out what the problem is."

"Thanks Harry," replied Don graciously.

"Yeah, bro, I don't know what we would have done without your quick thinking today," declared Raph.

"Been bludgeoned to death by wind magically propelled junk, more than likely," added Mikey.

"Now, guys, we really don't know what would have happened if Harry wasn't here," said Leo.

"Yeah, Leo, at least you're here and I'm sure you would have thought of something, oh fearless leader," declared Raph with a smirk. "But, Harry does seem to have the magic touch, pardon the expression."

"Come on, you could have all handled it, it just would have taken a bit of thinking and teamwork," said Harry.

"Harry is correct," replied Master Splinter, as he leaned on his walking stick. "Teamwork is a driving element to success or lack thereof. Each of you has your only strengths and weaknesses, weaknesses that can only be overcome by working together."

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley came bursting out the front door. Harry opened his mouth, with some explanation ready for the catapult malfunction, but Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to notice him.

"Ginny, Fred, George, Ron, inside!" yelled Mrs. Weasley. "I didn't know she was coming today, but she flooed me saying she was going to stop by. You need to all wash up and put on your best robes."

"Mum, who's coming?" asked Ron in confusion.

"Your Great Auntie Muriel," replied Mrs. Weasley, who looked quite flummoxed. "I know, it's a bit short notice, but she insisted on coming by."

Ron, George, and Fred scrambled to move inside but Ginny stood there with her arms crossed.

"Mum, I have guests," hissed Ginny.

"I know dear, but she was insistent," replied Mrs. Weasley in a defeated voice, before turning to the Turtles and Master Splinter. "I am absolutely sorry, but you five need to leave for the day. No offense, but I'm quite certain Muriel would be rude, because she doesn't approve of things that…"

"Aren't normal," supplied Leo helpfully. "Freaks, mutants, not human."

"Crudely put, but yes," replied Mrs. Weasley, looking frantic. "You can hide out in that wooded area across the way, no one should see you."

"Come my sons," declared Master Splinter without preamble and the four Turtles and Master Splinter moved.

Hailey, Ginny, Harry, and Lily walked inside, with Mrs. Weasley following a distance, muttering underneath her breath and wringing her hands.

"Who or what is a Great Auntie Muriel?" asked Hailey underneath her breath.

"What seems to be an apt expression," replied Ginny. "She's Mum's aunt, on her mother's side, I think. She's one hundred and six years old and quite barmy come to think of it. She stops by every few years, but I thought I had seen the last of her after her last visit."

"What happened?" asked Harry.

"Fred and George put dung bombs underneath her chair and she left in a huff," replied Ginny with a bit of a strained smile. "Every time she comes here, she makes snide suggestions about all of us, except for Percy that is, who she seemed to adore. She doesn't really approve of Dad and Mum doesn't have the spine to stand up to her."

"Wait a minute, Molly Weasley, not having the spine to stand up to someone," declared Lily in a skeptical voice.

"I know, Mum likes to have control over everything that goes on in this house, but with Muriel, she just sits back and says nothing, no matter what she said," declared Ginny. "Perhaps you three better leave too, I don't want her to put you down too."

"No, I'd like to meet your Great Auntie Muriel," declared Harry in a flat tone of voice.

"Okay Harry, but she won't approve of you, I just know it," replied Ginny. "She'll find some flaw with you that no one cares really cares about but it will get to you."

"Don't worry, Ginny, I'll be fine," said Harry. "Trust me, I survived Voldemort four times and the Shredder five times. I can handle anything Great Auntie Muriel throws at me."

In the wooded area just outside the Burrow, a pair of ninjas returned, before bowing before a large man. He was bald and had quite the prominent goatee.

"Report," grunted the man.

"Master Corbort, the four Turtle creatures and the rodent are coming this way," declared one of the ninjas.

"The Shredder wants these creatures eradicated," grunted Corbort. "We'll dispose of them all but one. That one will lead us to the one known as Potter."

The ninjas nodded, indicating they understood.

"Then disappear!" ordered Corbort in a harsh voice. "I will call you and your brothers once I require your use."

The two ninjas vanished into the shadows as Corbort stood waiting for the arrivals.

Back at the Burrow, everyone was sitting around, with various degrees of nervousness. A knock was heard on the door and Harry gripped Ginny's hand for support, as she seemed to be on the state of nervous collapse. Harry was looking forward to this moment; surely Great Auntie Muriel couldn't be as bad as Ginny was making her out to be.

Then again, Harry had known in his life that things were at most times much worse then they are previously stated.

Mrs. Weasley hurried towards the door, with a false cheerful expression on the face, before reaching forward and pulling the door open. A medium sized old woman with grey hair and thick spectacles appeared, wearing a multi colored hat with a dead raven, something that caused Harry to cringe. She had her nose turned slightly up, as if walking into the Burrow was beneath her.

"Muriel, how nice to see you!" declared Mrs. Weasley in a cheerful voice. "Please do come in, sit down, and make yourself at home."

Muriel walked inside, looking around.

"The décor doesn't seem to have changed much, still as low class as usual," declared Muriel, not bothering to lower her voice. "Ginevra, Ronald, Fredrick, George, seem to be as unkempt as usual, not bothering to be proper. Goodness, you think they were muggleborns the way they acted."

Lily's right eye twitched involuntarily and Harry could understand why. It seemed Muriel had held on to many of the outdated ideals that she frowned upon.

"And I don't know who you people are," continued Muriel, rudely, looking at Hailey, Lily, and Harry.

"Muriel, that's Lily Potter and her two children, Harry and Hailey." declared Mrs. Weasley politely.

"Merlin, a single muggleborn witch with two children," declared Muriel. "Shows bad form really, and by the way her daughter dresses, in those hideous Muggle clothes, it's clear that some of her bad traits rubbed off on her."

"So says the woman with the dead bird on her head," muttered Hailey but Muriel either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her.

"I have heard of you young man," declared Muriel, looking at Harry's scar for a full ten seconds. "Molly wrote to me about you, seems to be under the impression that you are young Ginevra's suitor."

"I am Ginny's boyfriend yes," declared Harry. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Now, you do seem like a nice young man, but the Potters are a rich and well off family, so I suspect you will be finding a nice pureblood girl who has a similar fortune someday," declared Muriel. "It's a nice thing that you're doing, making Ginevra think that she might have a future as your wife, might give the girl incentive to become a proper young lady. Still, you two would not be a proper match."

"What exactly are you trying to imply about Ginny?" asked Harry his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Harry, please," hissed Mrs. Weasley, looking fretful at the fact that Harry looked to mere seconds away from getting angry.

"No, I'm curious about hearing why she thinks that there is no way that Ginny and I won't get married someday," said Harry in an icy tone of voice, that caused Ron to shudder. Harry had directed that voice towards him in the first and he would have much rather heard Hermione Granger nag him then having Harry use that voice. The only possible people who could sound spookier would be Voldemort and maybe Snape.

"Now, young man, I know you don't want to hurt Ginevra's feelings, but some make the mistake of marrying people who are obviously not suited for them," declared Muriel and her eyes flickered towards Mrs. Weasley. "Trust me, I do know these things, I am one hundred and six years old!"

"Age does not excuse ignorance," declared Harry calmly but the look in his eyes seemed to be rather intense. "So do not make assumptions of things that you don't know, whether they be about me or someone else."

Harry took a deep breath, not wanting to go into a rant but it seemed Muriel was going to say something else, so Harry decided to beat her to the punch.

"Thing is I love Ginny and I don't particularly care for people degrading her," replied Harry. "The thing is, trust me, if it wasn't for the fact that Lord Voldemort wants my head on a silver platter, I would marry her tomorrow, because it is obvious that you couldn't find someone who would be more compatible to me no matter if you looked for hundreds of years."

Muriel flinched at hearing Voldemort's name but Harry just glared at her.

"Ginny is already in enough danger just because she's my girlfriend but the thing is, she would be even more danger if I pushed her away!" yelled Harry, who seemed to be getting agitated. "And for that matter, so would I. I would lose my mind, going completely mad if I lost Ginny! So, don't you try and judge my intentions when you haven't met me for five minutes."

"Once again, strong in your convictions, but I doubt it would work between you two," replied Muriel, waving off Harry's protests. "And another thing, call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he'll strike you down if you use his name."

"I refuse to demean myself by calling Voldemort anything but his name, not his true name mind you," declared Harry calmly, who was rocking back and forth now madly, with Ginny grabbing his hand. "And he's wants my head on a platter anyway, so I doubt anything I could say would make him want my blood any less."

"Muriel, I suggest you back off, because my brother might be keeping a cool head now, but he only has so much tolerance when it comes to people suggesting that Ginny isn't suitable for him," declared Hailey calmly.

"Listen, in my day, young ladies didn't speak to their elders unless they were spoken to and they never referred to them by their first names," said Muriel snidely.

"Well, welcome to the twentieth century," replied Hailey with a smirk.

"Wait a minute, did I just hear Muriel…" started Fred.

"Call young Hailey…" said George.

"A lady," continued Fred before the twins laughed madly.

"A girl none the less," declared George.

"But she did," started Fred

"Threaten to shove a beater bat," continued Fred.

"Up a certain part of our body which is best left unspoken," stated George.

"When we pulled a harmless little prank on her," declared Fred.

"Not very lady like behavior mind you," continued George.

"Especially when she pranked us back with a fury as payback," added Fred.

"Something that we'd expect no less from a daughter of one of the infamous Marauders," declared George.

"Goodness, you two deviants pranking young ladies, I'm glad I had you two written out of the will," declared Muriel. "And you still have that disgusting habit of finishing each others sentence, shows such poor form. Not to mention I heard about that ridiculous joke shop idea, not dignified at all. Never in my one hundred and six years…"

The twins rolled their eyes as Muriel launched into a diatribe about every little thing that was wrong about them. It was a speech that they had heard many times before, but it didn't stop Muriel from laying into them.

In the wooded area outside the Burrow, Raph, Mikey, Don, Leo, and Master Splinter moved their way further in but Master Splinter stopped shortly.

"What is it Master Splinter?" muttered Mikey.

"There's something in these woods, that's definitely not supposed to be here," declared Master Splinter quietly.

At those words from Master Splinter, a barrage of arrows flew from the side. Splinter motioned for his sons to scatter to the side, avoiding being bludgeoned by the arrows. Once the arrows quit hitting the ground, a dozen ninjas appeared, surrounding the Turtles and Master Splinter.

"The Foot," declared Leo darkly as the ninjas charged forward, but Leo managed to dodge around, blocking a pair of sword swings with his Katana. The wooden end of a spear clubbed Leo in the back causing him to stagger forward, but Raph tossed his Sais, causing the Foot Ninja to stagger backwards.

From high above the tree, a pair of chains flew from the side, wrapping around Raph's ankles and began to pull him up the tree. Raph made a lunge for his Sais but the Foot Ninjas yanked him up in the tree, hanging the mutant turtle by his ankles upside down from the tree.

Mikey was barely able to hold his own against the trio of Foot Ninjas he was engaging. He swung his nunchucks around, barely clipping one of the Foot Ninjas in the jaw but the other two leapt up, kicking Mikey in the back, sending the Turtle sending flying backwards.

Don spun around, his Bo staff cracking the jaw of one of his attackers and barely avoided getting punished by a shuriken to the back of the neck. Leo rushed over, using his katana to deflect another pair of shuriken. The ninja flicked a Kusari-Gama chain seemingly out of nowhere but Leo managed to slice the chain to ribbons with his katana. The assassin opted to fling the sickle end, but Leo deflected it backwards, before he was shouldered, knocked to the side.

Master Splinter found his way up the tree, where the two Foot Ninjas were hanging Raphael. Splinter rushed over, swinging his walking stick into the ribs of pair of warriors, knocking them off the tree. With expert grace, Splinter caught the chains before Raph plummeted to his doom.

The majority of the ninjas surrounded Don, Mikey, and Leo but before they could be assaulted, Raph and Master Splinter leapt at the Foot, causing the assassins to scatter in every which direction. Leo took advantage of the momentary distraction caused by his brother and sensei, by slashing his katana towards the Foot Ninja, knocking them to the ground. Mikey grabbed onto the edge of Don's Bo staff, allowing his brother to swing him around, his feet cracking two of the assassins in the head, knocking them cold.

Raph picked up his Sais, before using them to block a sword swing. He pushed them back into Mikey, who used his nunchucks to crack the Foot Ninja in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Mikey then extended his nunchucks, giving Raph the ability to use them as a springboard, kicking the Foot Ninja in the head, who had Leo pinned to a tree by the throat, reading to stab him with a dagger. The ninja landed hard on the ground, before scrambling out of the way to avoid more punishment.

The Foot Ninjas who managed to not become unconscious scrambled backwards, before bowing as the imposing figure of Corbort appeared, with his arms folded and a stoic look upon his face.

"Your teamwork is just as the Shredder at stated, above par," declared Corbort curtly. "However, once isolated, your skills leave much to be desired."

"There is no way any Foot Ninjas can beat us when we work together," responded Leo in a triumphant voice.

"Yeah, Leo's right and exactly who are you?" asked Raph in a threatening voice.

"Corbort," grunted Corbort. "I lead the Foot in Great Britain."

"This joker doesn't look like he can string a plan together that can beat us," declared Raph in a confident tone of voice.

"Yeah, he can barely string a sentence together," declared Mikey, before continuing in a grunt. "Me Corbort, me lead British Foot Ninjas, me smash puny Turtles."

Mikey, Raph, and Don laughed but Master Splinter and Leo looked agitated.

"My sons do not get over confident," admonished Master Splinter.

"Yes, I have a feeling this Corbort guy has something up his sleeve," declared Leo, just as Corbort clapped his hands three times, slowly and loudly.

"Quite astute for you to say something like that, you filthy reptile!" declared a female voice from the side, before cackling madly with glee.

The Turtles and Master Splinter looked up in horror, as a couple dozen Death Eaters circled around them, wands pointed at them threateningly.

Back at the Burrow, it was close to lunch time and Harry and Ginny had sat as far away from Muriel as humanly possible. Muriel sat herself down right next to Ron, who seemed to be rather displeased by this arrangement, and Mrs. Weasley.

"So, Molly, does Arnold still work with at the Ministry, tinkering with that Muggle rubbish," declared Muriel.

"Arthur," corrected Mrs. Weasley. "Yes, he still works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department."

"So, still not ambitious at all," concluded Muriel. "You would think after all that time in the Ministry, he would be able to gain another job, but I suppose I have too much faith him."

"Dad could get another job any time he wanted to," piped up Ron. "He just likes his job."

"Well, I never said your father wasn't abnormal, Ronald," declared Muriel nastily. "If he put in a bit more ambition, maybe you wouldn't be living in such a dilapidated home."

"Nothing wrong with this house, there is however something quite wrong with your attitude," muttered Ginny under her breath, but if Muriel heard her, she chose not to acknowledge her.

"I must say, I was disappointed to see that young Percival isn't here," continued Muriel. "He's such a charming lad, how's his career at the Ministry going?"

"He loves it," declared Ginny. "In fact, he loves the Ministry so much that he would forsake his own family and not talk to us for over a year. He refuses to admit he was wrong about Voldemort being back when Harry said he was. He's been a bit of an arrogant prat to be honest"

"Don't you dare say that name, Ginevra!" snapped Muriel. "It's improper for anyone, much less a young lady to say that particular name."

"What Voldemort?" asked Hailey with mock sweetness in her voice. "How can we can talk about Voldemort, if we don't say the name Voldemort?"

Muriel seemed to be quite agitated right now.

"Such disrespect, no doubt gets it from her mother, muggleborns know nothing of etiquette," muttered Muriel, as she looked right at Lily, who Harry noted seemed to be chewing on her tongue, straining very hard not to fly into a rage at Muriel.

Back in the forest, the scene was rather tense but was broken when the Turtles and Master Splinter had to dodge a layered series of spells, flying from the wands of their Death Eater attackers.

"We might not be able to get to Harry Potter, but we can force the Boy-Who-Lived to us by capturing his filthy mutant family!" shrieked Bellatrix Lestrange, as she sent a mild cutting curse towards Mikey, who expertly dodged, around. A stream of yellow light nearly missed Mikey's ear and the Turtle spun around, managing to crack one of the Death Eaters by swinging his nunchucks at him. The dark wizard fell to the ground.

Raph dodged spells, before Don used his Bo Staff to give him a leg up. Raph dodged a blue jet of light in mid air, before wiping two Death Eaters out with a split kick. A blasting spell fired towards Raph's shell. This spell would have killed a wizard, but since Raph had a large shell on his back, it merely caused him to fly backwards.

Master Splinter somersaulted underneath the charge of the Death Eaters swinging his walking stick, cracking one of his attackers in the knees. The mutant rat avoided another spell but Bellatrix Lestrange shot thick metal cords from her wand, aiming them towards Master Splinter. Splinter managed to use his walking stick to block and the cords merely intertwined the walking stick.

"Gotcha, now, rodent!" cheered Bellatrix, giggling like a madwoman, but Splinter yanked her forward, causing Bellatrix to fly in the air. Unfortunately, the sadistic dark witch had about five Death Eaters to break her fall, and she was only injured for the moment.

Don threw his Bo Staff at one of the Death Eaters who had Mikey trapped and the Bo Staff struck the Death Eater in the back of the head. The wizard fell to the ground and Don quickly moved over, before joining Leo, who was deflecting magically conjured daggers with his sword. Don swung his Bo Staff, cracking one of the Death Eaters in the back but another sent a pair of manacles towards Don, snapping his arms and legs shut.

"My son," yelled Master Splinter in anguish as he rushed over, before cracking his walking stick in the face of one of the Death Eaters. Another spell caught Master Splinter in the back, causing the rat to stagger, before falling to his knees.

"Master Splinter!" yelled the Turtles in horror but they couldn't reach their sensei at time. Bellatrix Lestrange levitated the unconscious rodent into the air, before dangling him around like a crude puppet for her own music.

"So this is the one who taught Harry Potter the art of ninjitsu!" crooned Bellatrix in a disgusting baby tone before growing serious. "Pathetic, he was knocked out with one spell."

"Yeah from behind, you cowards!" yelled Raph angrily.

"Hey, mind your tongue Turtles or the rat will go splat!" yelled Bellatrix before pointing to Leo. "Turtle, drop your weapons, you are coming with us."

Leo looked on as Bellatrix jerked her wand, causing Master Splinter's arms to jerk back and forth in mid air.

"Do it your filthy reptile," declared Bellatrix and with a bit of a resigned look Leo let his katana drop to the ground, in a flash, Leo was surrounded by Death Eaters, their wands trained on him. Within moments, thick cords were wrapped around Leo and he was dragged off by the Death Eaters.

"And just so you other three mutants don't think of doing anything stupid," declared one of the Death Eaters, before they waved their wands and formed a barrier of black fog.

Raph picked up Leo's katana and broke Don's restraint before looking at the black fog.

"Let's go after them, we can't let them get away," declared Raph as he rushed towards the barrier.

"Raph, I don't think that's such a good idea…" started Don but Raph had attempted to charge past the barrier. The moment he touched it, Raph fell his hands and knees, looking shaken and weakened.

"Can't get past that barrier, become weak!" muttered Raph.

"We've got to go after Leo and Master Splinter," said Mikey in a frantic voice. "If Harry was here, he'd know what to do."

"Yeah, but we can't rely on Harry, there are times where he can't be here and this is one of those times," answered Don in a resigned voice as Raph shakily pulled himself to his feet.

"Well maybe if there was someway to blast us right past that barrier at a high speed," declared Raph in an agitated voice. "The problem is, it's thin, but the moment we step near, we become weak and collapse. Not to mention I felt a sudden urge to move back from that area once I got near."

"Something to get us past the barrier at high speed," declared Don, before snapping his fingers. "The catapult."

"Don, let me just say one thing," declared Raph calmly. "ARE YOU COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR SHELL!"

"Yeah, that thing malfunctioned this morning plus I doubt Harry would have had time to look it over," replied Mikey.

"I know, but the catapulting part worked well enough," declared Don. "I see no reason why it shouldn't hold all of our weight, plus remember, Harry disabled all of the magic in those parts I used."

"I still think it's a bad idea, but it's the only idea we have," declared Raph. "Which means we'll have to sneak back to the Burrow and get the catapult, without that Muriel woman seeing us."

"And we don't have much time," muttered Don. "Let's go."

Meanwhile at the Burrow, Harry and Ginny had managed to sneak away from the others.

"Well, Muriel seems to not said one bad word about you today," declared Ginny casually.

"No, she's said plenty about you and I don't like it at all," replied Harry. "I don't know what I have to say to her to make her get the hint."

"The hint about what," declared Ginny with a mischievous smirk.

"Everything I said," remarked Harry coolly. "Especially the part about marrying you tomorrow if it wasn't for Lord Voldemort wanting my head on a platter."

"Isn't really something we really thought about before, but it does make sense," replied Ginny.

"Yes, it sort of spilled out of my mouth, but it is an honest reflection of my true feelings," declared Harry. "Once Voldemort dies, the Boy-Who-Lived will cease to exist. The magical world will have to find a new poster child against the darkness. I'll just be Harry and I'll be married to the most beautiful woman in the world."

"You mean you'd give up fighting dark wizards," declared Ginny, with a smile on her face, before engulfing Harry in an embrace, looking right into his vivid green eyes. "Just to think, one day, I won't spend sleepless nights worrying about whether or not you'll be safe the next time you go out and fight dark wizards."

"I still have to put an end to Lord Voldemort," replied Harry. "The battle is still far from over but one day…"

"I know," said Ginny sadly. "But it does give us something to fight for, to know that one day it will all be over and you won't have to live up the expectations of a world that quite frankly can't fight or think for themselves most the time."

Harry nodded, fully realizing that he had four more Horcruxes to correct and even with Voldemort's soul fully reunited, he would still have to find a way to defeat perhaps one of the greatest dark wizards that ever lived. The fact that Harry could find a light at the end of the tunnel gave him the drive and the determination to beat Voldemort.

"Many think I'll be an Auror," added Harry. "Scrimgeour especially seems to think it would be a good career choice and I think he thinks it might reflect well on him."

"Not what you want," declared Ginny knowingly.

"Exactly, I see myself playing Quidditch professionally," replied Harry.

"You'd be brilliant at anything you do Harry," declared Ginny, before kissing him briefly, wishing it could be longer but she heard her mother calling them from downstairs.

"I guess we better go," said Harry in a resigned voice.

"Yeah, I guess," declared Ginny in an equally downtrodden voice.

In an underground catacomb, Leo found himself chained to the wall. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull himself free. He wouldn't have been surprised if those chains had been magically reinforced. From what Leo heard, Master Splinter was in another part of these catacombs, no doubt in serious danger, so it strengthened Leo's resolve to find a weak spot in the chains.

Leo watched as Bellatrix Lestrange entered the room.

"Those chains cutting off your circulation nicely, mutant," declared Bellatrix sweetly before looking at Leo with an angry look in her eyes. "I absolutely despite turtles! It all started when Sirius thought it was a cute idea to fill my bed with dozens of you slimy beasts. Wasn't a very nice trick to play on a young girl? Then again my dear cousin never showed any tact!"

"What sick game are you playing?" demanded Leo.

"Games, oh, I love games, here's one my Daddy taught me," cooed Bellatrix before growing serious. "You see, when I was young, my father wanted to pass off a nice pastime he learned when he was young. He captured some unexpected Muggle and tied him to a wall, not unlike the one that you are on, turtle. He then magically conjured thirteen daggers, an extremely lucky number if I do say so myself. He would then blindfold himself and throw the dangers one by one, hopefully striking the Muggle."

Bellatrix paused letting her words sick in.

"If the Muggles were lucky, all thirteen daggers would miss them," declared Bellatrix. "Unfortunately, my father had a little problem. He liked to cheat. Often times, he removed the blindfold on the final dagger and walked over, before casually stabbing it in the chest of his prey. "

Bellatrix broke into mad giggles and Leo thought that Harry's assessment of the woman wasn't far off. She was utterly and truly mad.

"It was passed down through my family from father to son for generations, but alas, my father never had a son," declared Bellatrix with mock regret. "So, he had a radical idea. He would pass on the idea to one of his daughters. Needless to say, I was the logical choice. Andromeda was repulsed by the idea of harming Muggles and Narcissa was too afraid she'd break a nail. So, he did choose me and it was an excellent father-daughter bonding experience."

"You obviously have some twisted ideas of excellent," declared Leo.

"Why thank you," declared Bellatrix, giving a mock bow before adding in an apologetic tone "I haven't a chance to play this noble game since I was thirteen so forgive me if I seem a little rusty."

Bellatrix waved her wand at the table in front of her and thirteen daggers appeared, all in a row. A blindfold appeared at the table and Bellatrix levitated it up, before wrapping it around, shielding her eyes.

"Let the games begin!" cheered Bellatrix, as she picked up the first dagger and milked the anticipation, before throwing it towards Leo. The dagger missed the side of Leo's head by inches, sticking in the wall.

Bellatrix had a brief downtrodden look on her face, as she picked up a second dagger, before waving it and flinging it low. The dagger impacted right between Leo's legs, but thankfully didn't hit anything. Another dagger caused Leo an anxious moment, but it didn't hit the turtle. Leo hoped against all hope that someone would find him, because his chances of escaping on his own were rather slim. He attempted to yank his chains loose from the wall, but to no avail. He saw where Bellatrix aimed her dagger and attempted to maneuver the chain in her direction as she flung the fourth dagger.

Success as Bellatrix had unwillingly sliced the chain free with the dagger. Leo reached; attempting to grab the dagger to use it to break his other chain and Bellatrix seemed to not notice that one of Leo's chains broke. Instead, she flung the fifth dagger towards Leo, who with expert precision, managed to catch it. Leo turned himself, before breaking the chain with the dagger. The chain dropped to the ground, freeing Leo completely from his captivity.

Bellatrix raised her arm up as Leo attempted to creep past her, using every bit of his ninja cunning he could. He would come back to deal with Lestrange later, right now it was of utter importance that he'd locate Master Splinter.

Just as Leo moved towards the doorway, the doors swung shut, blocking his exit.

"Leaving so soon!" declared Bellatrix in a sadistic voice, as she ripped off her blindfold and sent a jet of black light towards Leo, who managed to roll out of the way. Leo leapt over the table, before putting his shell to the wall, before kicking the table at Bellatrix, but much to his dismay, the insane witch blasted the table to dust just as it came at her.

Leo dodged another dark spell, which blasted a large hole in the wall behind him. Bellatrix shrieked in frustration as Leo leapt up and managed to catch Bellatrix off guard, knocking her into the wall!

"You dare touch me, you filthy, disgusting turtle!" yelled Bellatrix, as her wand began to glow before a large flash of black fire flew towards Leo but Leo barely avoided getting fried. Bellatrix's attack had incinerated a section of the floor behind Leo and Leo managed to pick up two of the daggers that Bellatrix had conjured in the confusion, before throwing them at her.

Bellatrix blasted one of the daggers out of the way but the other dagger knocked her right in the wand hand, causing her wand to fly to the side. Leo made his move before Bellatrix could grab onto her wand. He grabbed the witch by the arm and flipped her to the ground, using his body to block her path to the wand.

"Now, tell me where Master Splinter is!" demanded Leo.

"Never!" shrieked Bellatrix, as she made a move for her wand but Leo stepped on her arm. Just at that second, the door opened and a trio of Death Eaters rushed into the room. Bellatrix took advantage of the momentary distraction to get back her wand but she wasn't the only one who had the notion to take advantage of the confusion.

Leo decided to make his move, rushing straight towards the Death Eaters, knocking them down, before making a swift turn out of that particular area of the catacombs.

"On your feet you useless idiots!" shrieked Bellatrix. "After the mutant, he'll ruin everything."

"Perhaps we should summon the Dark Lord…" suggested one of the Death Eaters.

"The Dark Lord has more pressing matters at hand, you fool!" declared Bellatrix in an angry voice. "Now quit wasting time with your lip and after the turtle."

The Death Eaters fearfully obeyed Bellatrix's orders. She was one of the Dark Lord's most valued supporters and disobeying her would be nearly as bad as disobeying the Dark Lord.

It was past lunch and getting into the late afternoon, with everyone sitting in the kitchen of the Burrow, just after Muriel had gone into another diatribe, directed towards Hailey. Hailey seemed to be getting some kind of perverse pleasure in antagonizing the old woman, by reminding her of the fact that her time had come and passed.

"You know I have never seen such a improper young lady in all of my one hundred and six years, I would highly suggest that she be taught a thing or two about etiquette," declared Muriel to Lily. "In fact, you haven't said a word to me all day, its very bad form not to address someone when they were speaking."

"My mother always told me that if you don't have something nice to say to someone, then you shouldn't say it at all," declared Lily calmly. "But, my mother has been long gone and thus is not here, so I will tell you exactly what I think of your opinion."

Lily took a deep breath.

"You come here, making judgments about me and my children, making your snide little remarks under your breath," continued Lily. "That, is not good form and not polite. Molly might not be able to stand up to you but do you think I care what you think?"

Muriel made a movement to talk but Lily cut over her.

"My children, bless them, are not perfect," declared Lily and Harry found himself agreeing. "That doesn't matter, because this world is far from perfect and the fact that people like you hold the out-dated opinions that you do is sufficient enough proof. So, I will not tolerate you downgrading my children."

"I never said a word against this young man," protested Muriel, pointing at Harry.

"Oh but you implied that Ginny wasn't good enough for him and that is ten times worse in Harry's mind," replied Lily coolly. "The truth is Harry and Ginny pretty equal, in more ways that your narrow mind can ever fathom. Implying anything else is a slight in Harry's mind and thus cuts worse than any curse cast by any Death Eaters."

"So, you are just convicted in this matter as…" declared Muriel.

"ENOUGH!" yelled Mrs. Weasley angrily and Muriel looked flabbergasted. "Do you think that I would allow Harry to date my only daughter, if I didn't think he truly love her?"

"Molly, I…" stammered Muriel, who looked completely shocked that her niece was standing up to her.

"Unless you are going to admit you're wrong, I quite frankly don't want to hear another word from you in my house," declared Mrs. Weasley stiffly. "I think it's deplorable that you would think that Harry would string Ginny along and she wouldn't figure it out if he was. Or that I wouldn't be wise to it for that matter."

Great Auntie Muriel sat their flabbergasted, before breaking out into laughter.

"Forget it Mrs. Weasley, it's obvious she's too set in her ways to see the truth," muttered Harry.

"No, dear, I've been waiting for Molly to finally grow a spine and stand up to me for years," declared Muriel. "Of course, I didn't expect anything less from you, Mr. Potter, but I still had to test you, to see if you were worthy of my great niece. There is more then a lightning bolt scar to you after all, young man."

"Of course Harry's worthy," declared Ginny incredulously. "I've loved him for the moment I ran into him at King's Cross. The moment that I got over my silly crush on the Boy-Who-Lived."

"But, Ginevra, young Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived," declared Muriel.

"The Boy-Who-Lived is a legend, created many years before anyone in the magical world had spoken to Harry," declared Ginny. "A role that, unfortunately, Harry has to play up to from time to time. A mask that he is forced to wear in public, and there are only but a handful of people who know the real Harry."

"And we are proud to say that we know the real Harry Potter," declared Fred.

"And he is a decent young lad," continued George.

"Even if he is dating our baby sister," declared Fred.

"Who would hex us if we attempted to hint otherwise to Harry," said George.

"Providing Harry didn't do the honors first," added Fred with a slight shudder.

"The lad does know some good hexes, as we know from attending his little, borderline illegal, Defense Against the Dark Arts study group," continued George.

"Not to mention the fact that he can defend himself pretty well without a wand," concluded Fred.

Muriel glared over her spectacles at the twins, but chose not to say anything about their slightly creepy habit of finishing each other's sentences.

"Yes, well, Ginevra, I'd advise you hang onto this one," declared Muriel. "I doubt he would have reacted in the way he did if I had said something against him."

"I most certainly would have," declared Ginny calmly.

"Well, yes, but I suspect I best be get going before Alonso gets home," declared Muriel.

"Arthur," hissed Mrs. Weasley. "I've only been married to him for thirty years, so you would think you'd learn his name by now."

"One would think that," replied Muriel as she made her way out the door from the Burrow. "Good day to you all."

The Weasley children waited until they were sure Muriel had left, before cheering.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," started George.

"Great Auntie Muriel," added Fred.

"Has left the building!" chorused the twins in unison.

"Bless Merlin's soiled trousers for that," muttered Hailey.

Harry turned to Ginny.

"Ginny, love," prompted Harry.

"Yes, Harry," said Ginny.

"You were right, she was quite barmy," declared Harry in a completely serious voice which caused everyone to break out into laughter, including, despite her best efforts, Mrs. Weasley.

Back in the catacombs, Leo crept around in the shadows, knowing full well that the Death Eaters were on his shell. He reached an open doorway and to his horror, he saw Master Splinter shackled to the wall, looking a bit out of it. Quickly, Leo rushed over to Master Splinter, attempting to pull his sensei free, wishing he had thought to hang onto one of those daggers with him.

"No, my son, it's a trap," declared Master Splinter and Leo turned around to see the British Foot closing in on him, lead by Corbort. Corbort cracked his knuckles, looking quite menacing.

The Foot closed in but several of them fell to the ground. The Foot turned around and Leo managed to rush over, grabbing one of the assassins before flipping him to the ground. Much to his relief, Leo saw Raph, Mikey, and Don appear. Several more ninjas dropped to the ground and Raph walked over to Leo, before handing him his weapons.

"Had a feeling these might come in hand, bro," declared Raph, as the Foot Ninjas got to their feet.

The Turtles nodded, before charging into the attack. Raph swung his Sai, breaking the sword of one of the ninjas. The ninja was then hoisted up and throw right into the stone wall. Don sprung up on his Bo Staff, before knocking several Foot Ninjas right into the nunchuck swing of Mikey. Leo rushed over, knocking a pair of ninjas out of the equation, before slicing Master Splinter free from his containment. The rat master picked up his walking stick, as the Foot had both Raph and Mikey corner. In a flash, Splinter leapt up, swinging his walking stick, knocking ninjas out left and right.

"Foot Ninja, disappear!" declared Corbort quickly, seeing as on this day, the Turtles were overwhelming his disciples.

Those ninjas who were still conscious managed to make their way to the door. Raph made a movement to go after them but Leo grabbed his arm.

"Let them go Raph, I have a feeling we'll have bigger problems in a section," said Leo and sure enough, at that moment, the wall right to the side blew into dust, as Bellatrix Lestrange led a group of Death Eaters.

"Oh goodie, all four Turtles are here, this should be fun!" cheered Bellatrix, before turning to the Death Eaters. "Destroy them!"

Several jets of light flew towards the Turtles and Master Splinter, but they just barely managed to get struck. Mikey managed to duck a powerful stunning spell and as a result, one of the Death Eaters was knocked out in the crossfire. The other Death Eater seemed frozen in his tracks and Mikey swung his nunchucks around, cracking his foe right in the chops.

Another Death Eater dodged around, sending jets of fire towards Don's legs, but Don managed to leap out of the way, before landing behind the Death Eater. One swift swing with his Bo Staff and the Death Eater's legs were struck out from underneath him. Another Death Eater aimed for Don.

"AVADA KE…" started the Death Eater but Raph tossed his Sais at the Death Eater, striking him in the back of the neck and knocking the Death Eater down. Another Death Eater attempted to fire a bone shattering curse at Raph but Raph managed to barely avoid being hit. He then leapt up, grabbing the Death Eater by the throat, before flinging him into the killing curse that was aimed towards Mikey. The dark wizard fell to the ground, knowing no more.

"FILTHY SLIMY REPTILES!" shrieked Bellatrix, cracking her wand like a whip, sending Leo and Mikey backwards with a powerful blast of magic. Raph picked up his Sais, before rushing over; attempting to stab Bellatrix, but the dark witch conjured a shield, causing Raph's Sais to bounce against them. Bellatrix then used her wand to hoist Raph up before sending him flying backwards into Mikey and Leo.

Master Splinter rushed over, swinging his walking stick, but Bellatrix disapparated with a pop before appearing to the side of Master Splinter. Master Splinter dodged a sickly jet of yellow light shot from Bellatrix's wand and it struck a Death Eater behind him. The Death Eater screamed in horror, before bursting into flames! Bellatrix didn't bother to acknowledge the Death Eater, as he quickly became a pile of ashes.

Leo quickly dodged behind Bellatrix, before kicking her in the back. Bellatrix staggered right towards Don, who tripped the dark witch up with his Bo Staff. Raph leapt up and attempted to crack Bellatrix directly in the face with his feet, but she deflected the attack of the turtle with magic. Raph landed on his feet, as the Death Eaters managed to circle the Turtles and Master Splinter.

The Death Eaters raised their wands savagely, pointing towards the Turtles and Master Splinter. There was no question; this could very well be the end. Fighting their way out of being completely surrounded from all sides would be one in a million shot and no doubt the Death Eaters would be aiming to kill.

At that second, the Death Eaters clutched their forearms in slight pain.

"The Dark Lord is summoning us," declared one of the Death Eaters.

"It's urgent, we have no choice but to depart," said Bellatrix.

"But what about…" started a thick Death Eater.

"But nothing, I will not jeopardize my standing with the Dark Lord for slimy turtles," declared Bellatrix in an eerily calm voice.

At that moment, the Death Eaters disapparated one by one, no doubt to join Voldemort.

"Well, that was a lucky break," said Raph in relief.

"Yeah, I never thought I'd say this, but thank you Voldemort," declared Mikey but at that moment, the ceiling of the catacombs became to cave in.

"Not out of the woods yet," said Leo, before looking frantic, as his brothers and Master Splinter followed him away from the catacombs.

"The exit should be this way, my sons," said Master Splinter, pointing upwards and climbing up a rickety stairway that looked to be moments away from caving itself in. Quickly as they could manage, Leo, Mikey, Don, and Raph followed their sensei up the stairs, which began to crumble underneath their weight.

They reached the exit, before making their way from the cave at the edge of the wooded area. Just in time, as those catacombs were completely caved in. The Turtles collapsed in near exhaustion, breathing heavily.

"At least, that place can't be used by Death Eaters or the Foot any more, it's completely caved in," remarked Don in a relieved voice.

"Yes, let us depart my sons, before we encounter any other trouble today," prompted Master Splinter, leaning forward on his walking stick.

That evening at the Burrow, the Turtles and Master Splinter had just finished talking about what had happened that day to Harry.

"So, you finally came face to face with the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange," concluded Harry that evening.

"That's one meeting that we wished we could have postponed as long as possible," said Leo, shaking his head.

"Indeed," answered Harry. "The Foot was no doubt watching for any movement and had summoned the Death Eaters when they saw you were far away from the wards protecting the Burrow. They do lose power at a certain point after all."

"I say we were damn lucky to survive today," replied Raph. "If Voldemort had summoned them, we would have been goners for sure."

"I'd prefer not to think of that, to be honest," declared Harry. "The only thing that matters is you are safe and relatively unharmed."

"I'll attest to that," declared Don.

"Precisely, my sons," declared Master Splinter. "Now, I suggest we all get some rest, as this has been a long day and I wish to assess your training in the morning."

In the depths of Salazar Tower, Lord Voldemort sat, addressing rows upon rows of his assembled Death Eaters.

"I have called you here on short notice for a simple reason," declared Voldemort. "As many of you know, I have been searching for a magical focus powerful enough to be able to perform the magic detailed in the scrolls that I have obtained from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

The Death Eaters nodded, illustrating that they understood.

"I am closer to my goal then ever before," declared Voldemort with triumph. "Soon, the British Magical community will be in my grasp, as Lord Voldemort will rule over all in the center of the magical world. The Ministry will be my puppets more so then ever before and I will be able to conquer each magical government in the world one by one, until the entire Magical World is under the undisputed rule of Lord Voldemort!"

The Death Eaters cheered and a thin smile appeared on Voldemort's face.

"We will be able to purge the world of Mudbloods, half bloods, blood traitors, mutants, and all else who dare to oppose the might of Lord Voldemort," hissed Voldemort. "That moment looms ever closer, with this latest discovery."

Voldemort reached the pocket of his robes, and removed a jagged piece of crystal, that nearly blinded all with its illuminated light.

"After extensive tests, I have no reason to doubt that I have a fragment of the fabled and legendary, Y'Liantian power crystals in my grasp," hissed Voldemort. "My associates in South America brought this to me about a week ago and it is proof that these crystals are far from a mere myth."

"My Lord, what do these crystals do exactly?" asked a Death Eater.

"Ah, Rookwood, ever the inquisitive one, but that's to be expected since you worked in the Department of Mysteries," declared Voldemort. "These crystals are said to be able to drain magic and give the wielder a greater amount of power, should they so desire. A larger fragment could absorb enough power to power a dwelling the size of Salazar Tower and allow it to propel towards any destination, ripping through even the most powerful magical defenses."

Voldemort paused, as the Death Eaters muttered amongst themselves.

"To answer your question, yes I believe large enough fragments exist, it's just a matter of locating them," declared Voldemort. "My power is limitless with a large supply of Y'Liantian power crystals in my grasp. If I ever should desire, I could melt down the crystals and administer them as an antidote, to revert werewolves and vampires back to a human state."

Voldemort let that remark sink it, it would be a useful bargaining chip to get the undisputed loyalty of many werewolves and vampires, if they believed Voldemort could return them to normal.

"Very well, that is all I require from you today," hissed Voldemort. "You are excused."

Without a word, many of the Death Eaters disapparated, to return to their activities, as Voldemort leaned back. He had his contacts in South America combing the area where the fragment was found extensively. Their estimates found that it might be up to a year before they would find anything, which fit into Voldemort's timetable perfectly. There was no one anyone could stop Lord Voldemort when he had access to this kind of power.


	10. Chapter 10: The Great Clockwork Caper

**Chapter Ten: The Great Clockwork Caper**

On a winding dirty road, a grimy looking man with stringy grey hair walked down the street. If it wasn't for his curious attire, many would mistake him for an average middle aged man. This man was far from average. He wore a silvery body suit, adorned with images of clocks of different shapes and sizes, with a clock pendulum on the front of his outfit, swinging back and forth as he moved. On his face sat a curious pair of goggles, where the lenses were replaced by two miniature clocks. The man wore no few then twenty four different watches, marking the time I every time zone in the world. He was born Maxwell Eugene Windsor, but he had taken on quite a different moniker as of late. Windsor had been driven quite mad when he locked himself inside the New York City Hall Clock Tower. The grinding of the gears and the clanging of the bells within the clock slowly drove him to the brink of insanity. When he was found, he had taken on a new moniker. He was the Tyrant of Time, the Sultan of Seconds, the Master of Minutes, the Honor Guard of Hours, the Dean of Days, the Warrior of Weeks, among many other time related honors that he had bestowed upon himself. Hard luck petty thief Max Windsor transformed into the criminal mastermind of clocks known as Chronos due to having this one really bad day.

"Alas free, free from that wretched insane asylum," declared Chronos. "And onto a new life, a new land to pillage. The King of the Clocktower will assume his rightful place as ruler of this land…"

Chronos squinted, examining a sign to gain the merest clue of his destination.

"Ottery St. Catchpole!" declared Chronos in a triumphant voice. "I claim this land in the spirit of time!

Chronos walked forward before coming across a discarded newspaper. The villain bent down before picking up the paper. Much to his pleasure, the paper seemed to be quite legible.

"Very interesting, You-Know-Who is suspected to behind Muggle attacks," declared Chronos before pausing. "That's rather unfortunate, carry a child for nine months and name him You-Know-Who. No wonder he's lashing out on these Muggles, whoever or whatever they might be."

Chronos began to read the paper, looking quite amused.

"This has to be some kind of spoof paper," declared Chronos, before giggling madly. "Whoever wrote this is much madder then I could ever hope to be. I mean wizards, witches, cauldron, Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore, all sounds like a bunch of carefully formulated insanity. And I love it!"

Chronos gave another round of giggles.

"Harry Potter was…" declared Chronos in a mocking voice before realizing suddenly and his eyes going wide underneath his goggles. "Harry Potter, that wretched brat who foiled my attempts to make an honest dishonest living of petty thievery many years ago and made me the laughing stock of the New York criminal underworld!"

Chronos looked at the paper, scanning it briefly before his face contorted with pure fury.

"Harry Potter, pictured here with his girlfriend Ginevra Weasley, is said to be a strong opponent of You-Know-Who," read Chronos in a scathing voice. "I can't believe the gall of this Potter brat. First he ruins my life and then he decides to pick a fight with this You-Know-Who chap. The fellow's got a horrible name already, I say this is an outrage and Potter's time will be cut short."

Chronos angrily flipped through the paper, hoping to find more but his eye was caught by an interesting tidbit.

"Harry Potter is rumored to be staying with his girlfriend and her family at the Weasley family home, known as the Burrow," read Chronos nodding but something prompted him to read on. "The Burrow is located in Ottery St. Catchpole, a home of many magical dwellings. Among the features in the Burrow is a family heirloom, a clock that accounts for the whereabouts of every member of the Weasley family…"

Chronos threw up his hands with glee at the mention of a clock.

"Now that is some clock, I must have it for my collection, not to mention the profits that I'll make once I duplicate its features and sell it. After all time is money," declared Chronos before adding as an afterthought. "And revenge on Harry Potter, but matters of time come first and foremost, before revenge."

Chronos began on his merry way, towards the Burrow. He had a clock to swipe and if he was lucky enough, he could score some measure of vengeance on Harry Potter. Only time would be the decider of that fact.

At the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley was looking absolutely flustered looking at the latest copy of the Daily Prophet, as the Turtles, Master Splinter, Harry, Hailey, Ginny, Lily, Fred, George, and Ron were all gathered around.

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry, but I can't even think why they could have guessed you were here, I mean, it's not like Arthur or I told anyone when you were coming," declared Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm glad those wards were reinforced yesterday, they should hold for about a year or so, unless someone tries to disable them, but they'd need to be an expert curse breaker to even get close in disabling them and there are so many different combinations of wards that can be used, so it would be a difficult task to knock them all out at once and I doubled up on some of the defenses whenever I could," explained Harry without taking a breath. "I just didn't expect the Daily Prophet would decide to print such confidential information."

"I thought that you and the Ministry were at an understanding," said Ron.

"We are but unfortunately, the Daily Prophet isn't among the priorities of the Ministry right now," declared Harry in a tired voice. "Still, I would hope that Voldemort would have better things to do then to try and kill me again."

Harry just sighed.

"The confrontation we had with the Foot and Death Eaters did prove that Voldemort might have a pretty good idea you were here anyway, Harry," suggested Leo.

"Yes, but the defenses should keep Voldemort out, but of course no defense is full proof," declared Harry. "We need someone to stay here when we go to Diagon Alley. I would, but there is also a very strong chance that Voldemort would attack anyone remotely connected to me. He's very likely to have people stationed in Diagon Alley."

"You've thought this out, haven't you Harry?" asked Hailey weakly.

"Of course he has," said Ginny. "He has to think like Voldemort, if he has any hope of surviving. Not pleasant but I can see why he has to. The only way he can survive is to think like the enemy. "

"Diagon Alley, shouldn't be too crowded," added Harry. "That could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at things. Most people are purchasing things by owl order. The shops are open, but there are a few Aurors staked out. Not enough for my liking, but at least Scrimgeour took my suggestion in mind. It will be harder to hide in a crowd for Death Eaters. On the flip side, it will be harder for us to hide into a crowd."

"I don't know Harry," declared Mrs. Weasley in a fretful voice. "It might be a good idea if we followed everyone else and owl ordered everything…"

"No, I will not hide from Voldemort like a scared little kid," declared Harry forcefully. "Of course, if you all want to stay here, then be my guest. I'll take your lists and go to Diagon Alley by myself to get everything you need."

"No, Harry, I don't think that will be necessary," said Lily quickly. "As long as we keep our eyes opened and stick together, everything will turn out to be just fine."

"The problem is, the defenses should hold, but I'm a bit apprehensive in putting my full confidence in the defenses. Magic can fail," declared Harry. "Obviously a worst case scenario, but I think I'd be much more at ease if someone else was here to keep an eye and perhaps a wand on things."

"Look no further Harry," declared George.

"The Weasley twins are on the case," added Fred.

"We can stay here and make sure no one shady tries to find their way in," suggested George.

"You sure, it's not any problem for you guys, with your shop and all," said Harry.

"No, in fact, today just happens to be our day off," declared Fred.

"Of course, when owning your own business, one can take as many days off as possible," added George.

"Not that we needed to go in that many times, business in Diagon Alley has been slow, with those meddling Death Eaters, so our business has been mostly owl orders," said Fred.

"So, we only need to pop in a couple days a week, to send out the orders from our large inventory," declared George.

"Fred, George, use this to contact me if the slightest hint of trouble arises," said Harry, sliding the twins a spare communication mirror that he kept on him in case of emergencies. "The defenses should in theory keep out any dangerous threats, but…"

"We understand Harry," declared George as Fred nodded in agreement. "We'll get in touch with you at the slightest hint of trouble."

"Harry, I'd feel a lot better if someone was here to keep an eye on Fred and George," whispered Mrs. Weasley in a frantic voice. "They might be capable but…

"I understand," declared Harry, before turning to his brothers, before closing his eyes and pulling out his wand and waving it, before pointing it. When Harry opened his eyes, he saw that Mikey was glowing slightly. "Okay, Mikey, I guess you'll have to stay behind and miss out on the trip."

"Wait a minute, we're leaving Mikey in charge," declared Raph. "I think your wand might be on the brink Harry."

"Perhaps, but I wanted everyone to have an equal chance," said Harry.

"Michelangelo, return to the attic and watch from above," ordered Master Splinter.

"Right away, Master Splinter," declared Mikey, as he raced up the stairs towards the attic.

"Now, for the matter of your disguises," said Lily, turning to the three remaining Turtles and Master Splinter. "Even by the standards of the Wizarding World, your appearance may cause people to…"

"Freak out," suggested Raph. "Like that little punk Malfoy did when we were hiding out at Hogwarts."

"Well if I remember correctly, Malfoy complained to his father and nearly got us killed by the Ministry of Magic," declared Don.

"The Ministry of Magic considers you all a threat as it is, no matter Harry's best efforts to persuade them over wise," said Lily, as she removed a box from underneath the table, containing a pile of cloaks. "These are ordinary cloaks, but added to them are mild disillusionment and confundus spells to prevent people who don't know about you being there from getting too close to get a better look."

"Yes, and the plan for us to patrol the parameter of Diagon Alley at a distance," added Leo. "Now we don't have to worry about our appearance causing an absolute panic."

"So now it's settled," added Harry. "Put the cloaks on and we can complete our shopping quickly. If we'll lucky, we should be done within a couple of hours."

Several yards from the Burrow, Chronos crept in the bushes, as the sun glinted off of his many watches. Unfortunately, the information of the article lacked little in directions but did show a picture of the Burrow, so with some luck, Chronos would be able to locate the place in a matter of time. Craning his neck upwards, Chronos's attention was piqued by a flash of light coming in the distance. Underneath his goggles, his eyes widened when he saw that he was just a matter of seconds from reaching his destination.

"At last, that clock will be mine!" declared Chronos, as he rose out of the bushes. "I mean, this clock can keep track of the whereabouts of people. If the police knew such a clock existed, they would be tripping over themselves to try and get one of their own. It can keep track of anyone, including criminals. Not to mention, every parent might want one to keep track of their meddlesome brats. I mean, wouldn't you?"

Chronos looked around, before laughing and clearing his throat, looking rather serious, before he turned his full attention to the hobo he had been speaking to.

"Seriously, if you…perish the thought…had children, you would want this clock," declared Chronos in a somber voice.

"Spare change," declared the hobo in a slightly slurred voice.

"Of yes, of course," said Chronos, before reaching into his pocket and shoving a few coins into the hand of hobo. The hobo seemed satisfied and walked off. The moment he disappeared, Chronos broke into a loud round of cackles, waving his hands loudly. "The fool doesn't realize that I gave him American money! He won't get any booze around here with that!"

Chronos threw his head back and laughed madly, before growing suddenly serious and pulling out large bag from underneath his costume.

"Let's see what I've got in my bag of tricks," muttered Chronos, rifling through. "Clockzooka, clock arrows, the sands of time knockout dust, exploding cuckoo clock, so many excellent gadgets, so little time."

In the attic of the Burrow, Mikey sat with his legs crossed, looking out the window. His cat, Klunk, lurked around the attic, where the feline had spent the majority of his time, only wandering from the attic for brief times to be fed.

"Well, Klunk doesn't appear to be anyone outside so far," muttered Mikey. "Then again Harry's only been gone for two minutes."

Klunk pawed through a box before letting out a loud hiss and moving backwards. Mikey moved to his feet quickly, to see what the trouble was.

"What is it Klunk?" asked Mikey, before looking at the contents of the box carefully and relaxing to see that it was just a hair dryer. "See Klunk only a hair dryer, nothing to worry about, boy."

At the moment, the hair dryer appeared to glow a bright gold color, before slowly levitating from the box.

"Okay, Klunk, maybe this is something to worry about," said Mikey as he cautiously pulled out his nunchucks, as the hair dryer circled Mikey's head. Klunk wisely moved into one of the sleeping bags in the attic. Mikey swung his nunchucks, but he just missed the hair dryer and the device magically shot hot air at Mikey, nearly blowing him backwards.

Mikey leapt onto a table, aiming carefully as the hair dryer dove towards Mikey, but Mikey swung his nunchucks towards the hair dryer, slicing it cleanly in two.

"Ha, it's going to be a cold day in hell, before a mere hair dryer can get the best of the Battle Nexus Champion," declared Mikey triumphantly but his glee was short lived as small white particles crawled from the hair dryer, before pulling the two broken pieces back together.

The plug dangled from the hair dryer, before latching onto what appeared to be a rusted down toaster. The toaster and the hair dryer began to fuse together.

"At last, revenge," breathed the hair dryer as more white particles shot out, latching onto a coffee maker and a blender respectively, fusing them to the toaster as some kind of disgusting travesty of arms "Remember me, Michelangelo?"

"Not particularly," declared Mikey in a bewildered voice. "Mind refreshing my memory a bit?"

"Oh but of course, you don't remember me," declared the voice. "Nearly six years ago, you and your filthy brothers tried to fry me in a furnace at a junkyard. Think back Michelangelo."

Mikey screwed his eyes up, before his recollections of the past came back to him. His mind flashbacked to a tough battle in a junkyard in what seemed like a lifetime ago. Along with Raph, Don, Leo, and Harry, they were threatened by a group of nanobots, who had the intelligence of a two year old thanks to a scientific glitch, under the control of a hard luck hoodlum, who thanks to the help of the ability of the nanobots to dissemble and reassemble anything, stole a wide variety of jewels. Once the Turtles and Harry had caught up with the thief, he had ordered the nanobots to assemble into a fifty foot monster made of various pieces of rubbish found in the junkyard. After a scuffle, where the Turtles and Harry nearly got trampled, they managed to lure the body constructed by the nanobots over to a magnet, immobilizing it. Before the nanobots could dissemble the magnet, they were thrown into a furnace which melted the metal down, apparently destroyed them.

Unfortunately, it appeared that the nanobots were not as destroyed as previously hoped.

"Oh yes, I remember, you now," said Mikey, as he stepped out of the way, as Klunk meowed at his feet. "Mind telling me exactly how you managed to survive and how you ended at the Burrow of all places."

Outside of the Burrow, Chronos stepped towards the door, with a baseball cap, turned backwards, added to his regular costume.

"Now, for my extremely convoluted plan in gaining entry," muttered Chronos to himself, before raising his hand dramatically and knocking on the door of the Burrow.

Chronos stood outside, tapping his foot impatiently, as he heard mostly muffled bits and pieces of conversation from inside, that the time obsessed villain could barely pick up. After a matter of moments, the door opened and George Weasley poked his head out of the door.

"May I help you?" asked George curiously.

"Excuse me, Mr…" declared Chronos, before trailing off.

"George Weasley," supplied the twin.

"Ah, yes Mr. Weasley, the name is Maxwell Windsor, I am a photojournalist from the Clockwork Monthly and I was wondering if we could do a feature on that fabulous clock for next month's magazine," declared Chronos, before stuffing his fist into his mouth to stifle his giggles.

"You want to see our clock," declared George, surveying Windsor with a slightly suspicious look.

"Of course, from what I've heard it's a fabulous piece of temporal goodness," replied Chronos. "But I do want to see it for myself, to survey its greatness."

"Of course, right this way Mr. Windsor," declared George before removing a blue piece of candy from his pocket. "Want a sweet before you proceed?"

"Don't mind if I do!" declared Chronos in a boisterous voice, before snatching the candy greedily. He always was a sucker for candy, especially when offered by strangers. Chronos quickly popped the sweet into his mouth and chewed it with glee.

Chronos took a few steps forward, but a feverish feeling spread over him. He staggered back, feeling the emergence of several boils appearing on his face.

"No, this candy has been contaminated!" declared Chronos in a horrified voice. "The agony, the horror, the pure terror of it all. Is nothing in this world sacred?"

The boils seemed to grow larger as Chronos staggered backwards, with George snickering slightly as he shut the door. The boils eventually reached capacity before bursting, covering Chronos with green slime. Chronos yelled in horror, wiping the slime off of his face, but more boils appeared on his hands. It seemed once the slime touched bare skin, the process of the candy restarted. Chronos ran off, attempting to regroup and find a way to get the slime off of his face, without it replicating the boil effect elsewhere on his body.

Inside the Burrow, George walked towards his twin who was sitting at the table.

"Who was it?" asked Fred.

"Just some nutter wanting to look at our clock," declared George. "Or at least that's what he said. I think he might have been someone from a rival joke shop, most likely Zonko's. We did steal many of their customers with our cheaper prices."

"It couldn't have been a Death Eater," suggested Fred.

"No, I doubt it, he would have shoved his wand in my throat and demanded entrance," said George, shaking his head. "Plus, I doubt very much he would have knocked."

"Good point, but do you think he'll come back?" asked Fred.

"If he does, we do have a few more products that haven't been quite tested that might have some interesting side effects," said George with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Back in the attic, Mikey backed off as his foe advanced on him.

"Before I destroy you utterly, perhaps I do owe you the courtesy of explaining to you why I'm here," declared the abomination made of household appliances. "To make everything simple, not all of the nanobots were destroyed that night. We were separated from the hive mind and latched onto the nearest item a hairdryer. We were still active but had no sense of direction, because of the hive mind being obliterated. Shortly thereafter, an old woman picked the hair dryer up and brought us back to this country, before making some adjustments to it using magic. The magic somehow caused us to gain sentience and duplicated our intelligence levels a thousand times past our normal capacity. Sadly, the woman passed on shortly and eventually, the hair dryer that we reside in found its way into the hands of a Mr. Arthur Weasley, who confiscated me from the Ministry before I could be properly sent to the Department of Mysteries to be analyzed and promptly destroyed. No doubt Mr. Weasley wanted to take me apart to see how I worked. "

"Damn your curiosity Mr. Weasley," muttered Mikey shaking his head, before leaping up, into a fighting stance. "Okay, Nano, you want a piece of this turtle, you might get a little more then you bargained for. "

Mikey swung his nunchucks wildly, leaping up but several nanobots shot from the coffee maker and blender arms of Nano, latching onto Mikey's nunchucks. The nunchucks were pulled, fusing to the body of Nano. Nano moved forward as Mikey stepped backwards, disarmed.

"So, do you think we can talk this over like mature adults?" asked Mikey cautiously but Mikey found himself having to dodge a swing by his own weapon that would have smashed his own head in had it connected. Mikey dodged around, his shell facing an open window. "I'm taking that as a no."

Nano moved to the attack, attempting to knock Mikey out of the window, but to his credit, the turtle managed to block this particular assault.

Outside, Chronos sat, rummaging through his bag for something useful. Something to get inside that Burrow and get his hands on that wonderful clock that would make him millions once he found a way to replicate it.

"Ah, this should do the trick," declared Chronos, as he pulled a clock arrow out of his bag. "This should allow me to pry the window open and this…"

Chronos pulled out a vial of his sands of time knockout dust.

"Should put anyone asleep for as long as I desire," declared Chronos, before moving towards the window and taking his tool, before trying to wedge it underneath the window. Chronos attempted to pry it open but his lack of upper arm strength caused this task to go longer then imagined. After a matter of moments, Chronos looked up, before seeing an open window near the attic. "Oh but of course, I shall sneak inside that way, but I'll need the proper equipment to sneak in through that particular avenue."

Chronos bent down before rifling towards his bag and pulling out a gun. With a press of a trigger a rope with a clock arrow tied to the end shot out, before the arrow jammed right into the side of the Burrow. Chronos bent down, before pulling out four suction cups from his bag, attaching one to each of his hands and feet. Stepping forward, the King of the Clocktower, grabbed onto the rope, ensuring it was steady, before gingerly climbing his way up the Burrow step by step, inch by inch, until he was moments away from the open window.

The fight between Nano and Mikey raged on in the attic, as Nano lunged at Mikey, knocking him backwards to the ground. Mikey pulled himself up towards the open window, just as Chronus came inches away from the open window. Nano charged at Mikey but Mikey moved out of the way and Nano smashed into the open window, knocking Chronos off balance and causing his suction cups to pry loose and slide down the rope slightly towards a lower area of the Burrow, right by the window he attempted to pry open

A bewildered look appeared on the face of Chronos, as he attempted to readjust his footing to return to the open window.

Inside the Burrow, Fred looked up to see the figure attempting to pull himself back up the Burrow.

"That the guy, the one who tried and get inside earlier?" muttered Fred.

George craned his neck upwards to get a better look, before nodding in agreement.

"I'll field this one," said Fred, nodding, before moving towards the window, with a small blue, disk shaped object in his hand. "Ah yes, this one should do quite nicely, give him the hint to take a walk."

"Excellent," muttered George, nodding his head as Fred moved forward, before opening the window just slightly. With a tap of his light, the object began to glow slightly and Fred quickly flicked the object towards Chronos, before shutting the window.

Chronos managed to regain his footing, before feeling slightly flushed. He had the urge to climb down, a disoriented feeling rising within his consciousness. The villain lost interest in the mission slightly, before feeling the strong urge to sit down and totally abandon his mission at least for the moment.

"One of my favorites," declared Fred from inside the Burrow to his twin. "The Disc of Disorientation. Causes whoever comes into contact with it to lose interest in what they are doing."

"Yes, but with a few unfortunate side effects, varying on the victim," added George.

"Like headaches."

"Uncontrollable hives."

"Dry mouth."

"Irritated Eyes."

"Irregular bowel movement."

"Among other symptoms that we have yet to determine from our tests" concluded George with a somber nod. "Once we figure out how to counteract these without reducing the potency of the magic in the disc, it will be good to go for sale."

"That it will," replied Fred with a nod. "Do you think our friend will come back so he can be the unwilling victim of more of our slightly untested pranks?"

"I think that's pretty much a given," declared George, with a nod. "He's obviously obsessed with sneaking in here, but we do have a few more surprises we can unleash on our new friend."

In the attic, Mikey continued to dodge the ruthless assaults from his attacker, as Klunk hissed on the ground. Mikey managed to catch Nano off guard with a pair of vicious kicks. Nano staggered back, long enough for Mikey to scoop up Klunk and make a quick beeline in the direction of the door. Nano positioned his body, using the hot air from the hair dryer to propel himself forward towards the turtle. Mikey managed to open the door, before slipping through the doorway with Klunk and slammed it shut, causing Nano to smash into the door at the last second.

"I liked Nano a lot better when he had the intelligence a two year old, wouldn't you, Klunk?" asked Mikey and the cat meowed in agreement, as his master bolted the entrance to the attic shut, before moving backwards down the stairs cautiously. "I mean at least then he was just destructive, now he's destructive combined with the ability to think logically."

At that moment, a small group of nanobots wormed their way from a crack by the attic door, before worming its way towards the bolt, disabling it. The nanobots found their way back through the crack and the door swung open, before the form of Nano made its way down the stairs.

"You'll have to do better then that to contain me, turtle," declared Nano, before propelling itself down the stairs, knocking Mikey to his back. Nano raised its arms, before slamming the nunchucks into the chest of Mikey. Another swing but Mikey managed to grab his own weapon and flip Nano to the ground. Mikey rose to his feet, before backing off.

"I'm warning you, don't come any closer," threatened Mikey, before stumbling reaching through an open doorway and grabbing the first item he saw, a half full glass of water. Drops of water splashed upwards causing Nano to step backwards.

"Back you fool, don't get too close to me with that thing?" demanded Nano in shaky voice which caused a grin to form on Mikey's face.

"At last, a weak spot," declared Mikey, waving the glass of water. "Come on, Nano, afraid of getting a little wet?"

"Back, back!" exclaimed Nano in a horrified voice, before shooting a stream of nanobots towards the ceiling and pulling himself out of the reach of Mikey, before climbing to the ceiling like some sort of demented spider. Mikey threw all caution to the wind, splashing Nano with the contents of the glass.

Nano gave a blood curdling shriek, as several motionless nanobots fell from the frame of appliances, with no movement in them. Still, Nano had some life left in him and managed to make his way from the ceiling down the stairs towards the kitchen, to regroup and gain his revenge on another day.

"After him Klunk!" yelled Mikey in triumphant and Klunk gave a hiss, his fur standing up on end, before following Mikey down the stairs after the retreating form of Nano.

Outside the Burrow, Chronos gave his head a little shake, before placing a clock-shaped shoe on each foot.

"This time, I will not fail in my endeavor," muttered Chronos, looking around wildly, before giggling randomly, before taking a deep breath. "These clocks will go off in a minute, springing up towards the Burrow and through that open window. Third time will be the charm and I will not fail this time."

Back inside the Burrow, Fred and George peered out the window from a safe distance, before shaking their heads in unison.

"Babbling about his plan out loud," declared George in a solemn voice.

"That shows either insanity, stupidity, or just plain sloppiness," added Fred.

"Or some kind of demented combination of the three," continued George.

"It's your turn to try and deter him, my evil twin," said Fred.

"I thought you were the evil one," remarked George.

"My mistake," said Fred in an apologetic voice. "I do tend to get us mixed up at times."

"Right, let's see, oh, this should be interesting, doesn't have much use other then causing intruders serious body harm, which may work quite well this case," muttered George, as he pulled out a handful of multi colored powder and moving quickly towards the window, pushing it open.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six," chanted Chronos in a sing song voice while snapping his fingers and bopping his head back and forth but George hurled the powder out of the window, knocking Chronos off balance. Just as Chronos fell to the ground, the clocks went off, propelling Chronos across the ground right into the garden.

"And that's not even the best part," muttered Fred, as he got to his feet to get a closer look at the festivities.

Chronos attempted to vainly pull himself up to his feet, but he found himself being pounded on the chest, shoulders, and head but what appeared to be a group of demented potatoes with arms and legs. The King of the Clocktower squirmed, attempting to push his attackers away.

"I thought that was one of the better additions," declared Fred from inside. "I mean, if our garden is going to be plagued by gnomes, we might as well take advantage of them as a security defense."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," declared George, before the twins looked up in bemusement at the sight of what appeared to be a weird mish-mash combination of Muggle appliances made its way frantically down the stairs.

"Now, there's something you don't see, even in the Wizarding World," remarked Fred in a nonchalant voice as Mikey made his way down the stairs, with Klunk in hot pursuit.

"Definitely," muttered George as Mikey seemed to be too preoccupied with his adversary to acknowledge the twins. "Dad's Muggle stuff must have had a slight…glitch again."

"More then a glitch," declared Mikey in an absent-minded voice as Nano managed to push the door open, in a bid for freedom. The door opened, as Nano sprung out the door. Mikey followed closely behind as Nano stood in the garden as Mikey stepped in front of him.

Chronos managed to pull himself away from the attack, clutching his head in agony, before looking over at Nano dodging Mikey's assault, before knocking the turtle off balance. He took the full absurdity of the scene before him in for approximately thirty seconds, before breaking into loud giggles.

"I must have hit my head harder then I thought," declared Chronos in between giggles. "I mean a giant turtle fighting a group of sentient household electronics. That's just wacky! Even more so than me!"

Chronos looked around, watching the turtle get knocked backwards. He stooped down, before shaking his head in amusement, before moving over towards his bag of tricks and removing the clockzooka from it.

"Time's up!" yelled Chronos but a group of nanobots shot out, wrapping around the clockzooka. Chronos spun around, as he was pulled into Nano. "LET ME GO YOU STUPID PILE OF JUNK!

"I need that weapon!" yelled Nano firmly as Mikey looked up, looking rather amused, looking from Chronos to Nano who were fighting over the clockzooka.

Chronos pressed the button, arming the clockzooka before firing three clocks in rapid succession. They smashed against Nano, sending the pile of junk backwards right towards a large puddle of water. Nano screamed as sparks flew from him, as the nanobots were shorted out by the heavy amount of water that it was exposed to. Chronos bent down, before removing his clockzooka from the puddle and doing a mocking bow towards the crumpled heap of lifeless household appliances.

Mikey stepped in front of Chronos, before picking up his nunchucks, which Nano had dropped in the scuffle. In a flash, Mikey decided to take care of this joker by disarming him with a well placed kick. The clockzooka flew to the ground and Mikey stood between Chronos and the weapon, to avoid his assaults.

"One side turtle!" yelled Chronos as he stood in front of Mikey in a battle stance. "You can't handle this, I'm a master of clock-fu!"

Mikey looked at Chronos with a bemused look as Chronos attempted to punch Mikey but Mikey casually caught Chronos's arm before forcing it backwards, causing the Manipulator of Minutes to stagger. Mikey sprang up and swung his nunchucks, before cracking Chronos in the face. Chronos fell down with a pained look on his face, his goggles broken by the attack. He reached for his bag, but Mikey kicked it out of his reach, before pulling Chronos up in a standing position and hoisting him up before knocking him backwards with a kick. Another kick and Chronos fell right into the garden.

"Not again!" yelled Chronos, as he got pummeled by lawn gnomes, while thrashing around in an attempt to escape his attack.

"That'd teach you to mess with a turtle," declared Mikey with a smug expression, before moving inside with Klunk moving at his feet.

"I doubt he'll get the message, Mikey," said George in a somber voice.

"Harry should be back soon and he's a bit more forceful then I am," replied Mikey, shaking his head as Klunk

"That he will be," declared George.

"No doubt he'll show this clock obsessed nutter the door," continued Fred. "

"Still maybe we'll get to test a couple more products before this guy's visit is cut short," declared George.

At that exact moment, Harry, Ginny, Hailey, Ron, Lily, Mrs. Weasley, Master Splinter, Leo, Raph, and Don materialized in the center of the kitchen, with the items they purchased in Diagon Alley. Harry seemed to be troubled about something but at that second, a loud bang echoed through the Burrow, causing Harry to rush over, before pulling his wand out.

"Honey, I'm home!" chanted Chronos in a sing song voice, before finding himself facing Harry's wand in his face.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Harry in a dangerous voice as Ginny joined him to get a better look. "What are you doing here?"

"My name is Chronos, I am the King of the Clocktower, the Master of Minutes, the Sultan of Seconds, the Honor Guard of Hours, the Dean of Days, the Count of Clocks, among several other titles that I have proclaimed myself," declared Chronos as he turned to face Harry. "And I am here to get revenge on the one known as Harry Potter and steal that wonderful clock in the kitchen."

Harry and Ginny exchanged an exasperated look.

"You want to steal the clock," declared Ginny in an amused voice as she pulled out her wand.

"Any and all clocks are my birthright, little girl!" yelled Chronos before turning to Harry. "Now step aside so I can claim my booty."

"My counter offer is this, Chronos," replied Harry calmly. "You have approximately fifteen seconds to start running or I'll show you the door personally."

"Who are you to order around the King of the Clocktower?" demanded Chronos.

"I'm Harry Potter," declared Harry in a casual voice and Chronos's eyes went wide, before pulling out the clockzooka and pointing it towards Harry, with a mad look on his face.

"At last, I finally get my vengeance on the one who caused me to be mocked by the criminal underworld!" declared Chronos but before he could fire his weapon at Harry, Ginny fired a stunner at him, knocking him completely out cold.

Harry looked at Ginny with an adoring look, before grabbing her in a tight embrace, kissing her passionately. The kiss broke just about a minute later, too soon for Harry's liking, but he had business to take care of.

"You know, Ginny, I was about ready to do that myself," said Harry as he let Ginny go.

"I know, but that's just one last thing you have to do Harry," replied Ginny looking down at the deflated body of Chronos. "Now what to do with him?"

Harry pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket, before tapping it with his wand and placing it in Chronos's hand. In the blink of an eye, Chronos was yanked into thin air, when he vanished.

"He should appear in some back alleyway in New York, hopefully behind a police station," declared Harry. "With any luck, he should be thrown into an insane asylum."

"Merlin knows with that outfit he should already qualify, without his actions," said Ginny before turning to Harry, as the couple walked back into the kitchen.

"Well that particular disaster has been averted," said Mikey. "Clock boy has left the building."

"Thankfully," muttered Harry shaking his head. "I'm ready for a day of rest after today."

"I don't know what he's trying to pull," declared Hailey, looking at Harry for the first time. "I know you told me to…"

"Hailey, I told you my opinion on the issue," replied Harry. "It's very suspicious that he's done such an about face in his beliefs, to oppose what his father stood for. But, it does reflect well on him when he pulled that stunt in front of all those people from the Ministry."

"I still think you should have hexed him into oblivion on principle," muttered Hailey shaking her head. "After all of the things he said about you, Ginny, Hermione, Daphne, Theodore, and pretty much everyone else over the years, he deserved it."

"You're not looking at this from a Slytherin mindset, Hailey," replied Ginny calmly. "Harry wants to find out what he's up to, give him enough room to hang himself if necessary. This looks to be about as much of a ruse to gain Harry's trust as it is for him to gain the Ministry's trust."

"Ginny's right, but the problem is, I don't know exactly why," declared Harry, rubbing his forehead deep in thought. "Plus on the off chance he has decided to not follow in his father's footsteps, it would reflect badly on me if I attacked him right then and there."

Harry sighed as confused looks appeared on the looks of Fred, George, and Mikey.

"Who are you talking about, Harry?" asked Mikey in a confused voice.

"Yes do clue us in," started George.

"Oh wise one," concluded Fred.

"I do owe you an explanation, I suppose, plus only Ginny, Hailey, and I saw pretty much everything, so it wouldn't hurt to fill everyone else in on the rest of the details," declared Harry, as he sank into a chair. "It all begins today when we were shopping at Diagon Alley."


	11. Chapter 11: Unlikely Aid

**Chapter Eleven: Unlikely Aid**

"I suppose the best part would be started when we arrived at Diagon Alley to do our shopping," declared Harry, before he launched into the tale of the events of that day.

_The Portkey had brought everyone to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry took a look around, seeing a few Aurors scattered around, along with a family of Muggles, with a young girl of about eleven years old who was about to start her year at Hogwarts, lead by a Ministry Auror, along with the Divination teacher Professor Trelawney, who looked even more eccentric than usual. Trelawney spotted Harry, looking at him with wide eyes, before turning her back on him, not saying a word, before leading her charges through the gateway in Diagon Alley._

"_I could have sworn I heard a rumor that she was kidnapped from the Hogs Head, by Death Eaters," muttered Lily in undertone, to the others, with looking to Harry and Ginny, deciding not to refer about the strange dream Harry had about Voldemort and Trelawney. Both Ginny and Lily seemed to think it was something to consider, but Harry was adamant that it could have been just a really strange dream, although he was at a loss to determine how his subconscious might have come up with such a thing. _

"_Actually I believe it was a false rumor, because Arthur told me she returned to Hogwarts a couple of days later," replied Mrs. Weasley in a low voice. "She didn't seem to remember anything about the two days that she was missing."_

"_A quite common affliction in Seers, actually," replied Lily, recalling a brief passage on Seers that she found in a Mind Arts book when she had to learn Occlumency and Legilimency when she was chosen to join the Department of Mysteries. "They can wander off for days, after they have seen too much, its overwhelming and return not remembering anything. Of course, I don't know of Trelawney actually has seen, but her great grandmother did have the gift, so perhaps she has slight flashes of it."_

_Harry and Ginny exchanged looks, with Harry relieved. He really didn't want to think he had some demented window to view the actions of Lord Voldemort, even through it was highly likely because of the scar. Harry really wasn't all that concerned about whether or not Voldemort got his hands on the prophecy Trelawney made, as it was completely false. Still, Harry had to admit that it was good that his dream might have been just that, a dream. _

"_She's a fraud," piped up Ron, bringing Harry out of his thoughts. "I'm really glad I don't have to take her class this year."_

"_Ronald Billius Weasley, do not speak ill of Hogwarts Professors!" hissed Mrs. Weasley. _

"_No matter how true the statement may be," muttered Ginny, but only Hailey and Harry heard her and they resisted the urge to laugh. _

"_Let's go shall we," declared Lily with the Weasleys and her children following her, as the Turtles and Master Splinter stuck to the shadows, a few paces behind them. Lily removed her wand, tapping the bricks and opening the gateway towards Diagon Alley. Everyone moved through as Diagon Alley seemed to be blanketed in a slight fog, with more Aurors scattered around the parameter of the Alley. _

"_Lovely, the Dementors are breeding," declared Harry sarcastically. "Just what we need, more of those horrid things."_

"_Let's stick together, wouldn't want to get lost in this fog," declared Mrs. Weasley, as they made their way towards Gringotts to get Galleons, before moving on to do their shopping elsewhere in the Alley._

_After a trip to Gringotts, where the goblins had security doubled up, Ron, Ginny, Hailey, and Harry consulted their lists. _

"_Let's see, N.E.W.T level books for Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Study of Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and…" started Harry, before shaking his head, and looking frantically down the list. "It seems like they don't have an N.E.W.T level books for Defense Against the Dark Arts."_

"_The fifth year book list doesn't seem to have a book for Defense either," declared Ginny, as she double checked._

"_My book list doesn't have one either," said Hailey. "Maybe they couldn't find a Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher this year."_

"_No, it's going to be a practical emphasized class, with any theoretical work done through research in the library," replied Lily before adding. "That's the current plan for this year, so there would be no official book." _

"_I didn't know that," declared Harry. "Mum, you know way too much about this, you have to know who the new teacher is."_

"_Maybe, but you'll find out on September First," replied Lily in a calm voice. "Won't say any more than that?"_

"_Can't be any worse than Umbridge, whoever it is," declared Ginny. _

"_I should bloody well hope so," replied Hailey. "Exactly what happened to our favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, anyway?"_

"_The official word is she had a little accident in Azkaban that lead to her demise" declared Lily in a low voice. "An accident that may or may not have had something to leaving her in a locked cell with Fenrir Greyback during the full moon, but the Ministry is trying to hush that particular matter up." _

"_Couldn't have happened to a better person," commented Harry, before checking his list and shuddering. He couldn't shake the feeling that the fog, which seemed to be getting thicker by the second, was an omen that something bad might happen sooner rather than later. "Never mind, let's go get our books first and then get anything else we might need quickly."_

_The others nodded, as Harry looked over his shoulder, seeing Raph, Leo, Don, and Master Splinter putting on infa-red goggles to be able to see better through the fog, before waiting for the others just outside of Flourish and Blotts. _

_About twenty minutes later, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Hailey, Mrs. Weasley, and Lily excited Flourish and Blotts, their arms full of shopping, before walking down the streets, right towards what used to be Ollivanders, but was not a pile of rubble, with a magical dome around it, to prevent people from moving closer. _

"_The Ministry seems to think it was an accident, Ollivander experimenting with volatile wand cores," replied Harry._

"_I don't believe that for one minute, Harry," declared Lily with a frown. "Voldemort might have wanted Ollivander to give him information and when Ollivander refused, Voldemort torched the place."_

"_But where will people get wands?" asked Hailey. _

"_Other wand makers, there are a couple shady ones in Knockturn Alley," replied Lily. "For the muggleborns, I don't know, but I think there might be someone coming in to fit them for a wand on the first."_

_The fog just seemed to be getting a little thicker. _

"_Okay, we have the books, those of us taking Potions need Potion ingredients," declared Harry, as Hailey and Ginny nodded in agreement. _

"_Ron needs new robes, as his old ones are entirely too short," added Mrs. Weasley. "Any of you others need new robes?"_

_Hailey, Ginny, and Harry shook their heads. They had just bought new robes in a magical clothes shop in New York in May, so they would be good on robes for the foreseeable future._

"_Harry, you go with Hailey and Ginny to get Potions ingredients," ordered Lily. "Molly can take Ron to get robes. I'll patrol the parameter of the alley, because this fog may very well indicate that Dementors are close by. We'll meet back here in thirty minutes and be careful."_

_Mrs. Weasley seemed a bit put off about Lily taking charge, but nodded in agreement. Ginny, Harry, and Hailey walked towards the Apothecary, while Ron and Mrs. Weasley made their way to Madam Malkin's. Lily moving on in no particular direction, in an attempt to determine if Dementors were close enough to be a threat. _

_After a few minutes, Hailey, Ginny, and Harry left the Apothecary with their Potion kits more than sufficiently stocked for the upcoming year. Raph and Leo were following at a distance, with their weapons at the ready. _

"_Now, we've got everything," replied Harry. "Hopefully we can meet the others and get out of here."_

"_Yeah, this fog's giving me the creeps," said Hailey shuddering and all of the sudden, a scream echoed through the alleyway, causing Harry to stiffen._

"_Of course, can't go out one time without running into trouble," muttered Harry. _

"_Now, Harry, maybe it's something that the Aurors can take care of," replied Ginny, who frowned, as they took a few tentative steps forward but stopped, before looking down at trio husks that were still breathing, but had a blank soulless look on their faces._

"_You mean these Aurors, Ginny," muttered Hailey, as she looked down and sure enough, the figures were Ministry of Magic Aurors. _

"_They have been kissed, which means Dementor's are close by," replied Harry. "Mum was right, wands out; we might have to use the Patronus Charm sooner or later."_

_Harry's mirror began to heat up and Harry took it out, seeing his mother's face appear on the mirror, looking a bit flushed and sweaty. _

"_Harry, Ginny, Hailey, I just had to use a Patronus a quartet of Dementors," declared Lily. "I chased they off, but judging by the fog, they're still very, very close."_

"_We know," muttered Harry darkly, as it appeared to go darker, colder, and the fog intoxicated before being greeted by quite the troubling start. "You said there were four Dementors Mum?"_

"_Yes, Harry," replied Lily._

"_Well, there are now six of them, two of them must have been breeding and thus split," declared Harry before his mirror went dead. "PATRONUSES NOW!"_

"_Expecto Patronum!" yelled Harry, Ginny, and Hailey in unison and Harry felt glad they spent so much time on that spell during their four months when they were exiled from Hogwarts, as a fully formed raven, falcon, and doe blasted down the alley way, causing the Dementors to make a retreat for it. _

_Harry felt better, as he reached into his pocket, before pulling a magically expanded drawstring bag. He opened the bag, before digging into it, taking out five medium sized slabs of chocolate, giving them to his concealed brothers, his sister, and his girlfriend, before taking one for his own consumption. After eating the chocolate, warmth began to spread to through their body. _

"_Thank Merlin for your chocolate addiction Harry," declared Hailey. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have just happened to have chocolate on you."_

"_Well to be fair you…" started Harry but more piercing screams filled the alleyway and another loud scream of "help us"._

"_It's coming from over there, I think," declared Hailey, pointing towards the direction and sure enough, they spotted the family that they had seen earlier being escorted into the Alley by Professor Trelawney were being tormented by Death Eaters. _

_Harry rushed forward before coming across a slightly visible black barrier. _

"_Just as I thought, the Death Eaters would have found a way to stop us and unfortunately this barrier looks to be more reinforced against entry than the one that I had to contend with at Hermione's," muttered Harry. "Give me a minute to.."_

"_You have no time ickle baby Potter!" declared the cackling form of Bellatrix Lestrange as she swooped in, sending what looked like a black orb from her wand at both Hailey and Ginny, but the two girls managed to move out of the way and the orb struck the ground, blowing a large crater at them. _

_Harry flicked his wand, sending an organ explosion hex right at Bellatrix's heart but the sinister dark witch put up a powerful shield that managed to block it just a split second before it would have hit her. Not put off at the slightest, Harry sent a slicing curse right at her throat, but Bellatrix managed to find a way just to barely block that attack as well. _

"_Oh, Harry, like to play rough now do we," declared Bellatrix, but she spun around to see both Hailey and Ginny sending a pair of stunners towards her in either direction. Bellatrix pointed her wand up in the air and propelled herself into the air with a blast of hot air aiming off the ground, causing the two stunners to impact in mid air, causing the three teenagers to blast to the ground._

"_Where in the hell are all the Aurors?" asked Ginny in a pained voice. _

"_Oh, since you asked so nicely, they had to deal with a little Dementor problem," declared Bellatrix. "Competent enough witches and wizards, nothing compared to the followers of the Dark Lord, but still fairly decent. They might have lost their souls by now."_

_In a flash, a pair of Sais flicked out of midair, knocking Bellatrix off balance. Bellatrix spun around, with an absolute giddy look on her face, as she levitated the Sais into the air, before using her magic to blast them back towards the disguised forms of Leo and Raph, causing the two Turtles to back._

"_The Turtles are here to play too!" cooed Bellatrix but Harry's right arm began glowing orange, before he shot a large orb of fire from his wand, attempting to incinerate Bellatrix to a crisp but Bellatrix managed to disapparate, just as the fire scorched the ground. _

_Bellatrix reappeared, her eyebrows singed off and her face a blistering red, allow with the sleeves of her robes burned off. Her Death Eater mask had been burned directly off her face before she managed to Disapparate. _

"_You think you're hot stuff Potter!" screeched Bellatrix, before pointing her wand towards Ginny. "Well this should cool your fire. AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

_Harry reacted with cat like reflexes with Ginny being threatened, shooting a wall of water from his wand in front of Ginny, before using a second spell a nanosecond later to freeze the water solid, forming a barrier, shielding his girlfriend from harm. The wall of ice shattered on impact, causing Ginny, Hailey, Harry, Leo, Raph, and Bellatrix to all fall backwards, with various degrees of injury due to the shattering ice, but Bellatrix managed to get to her feet first, absolutely incensed._

"_Fire and Ice Potter, I wonder what other tricks you've got up your sleeve!" yelled Bellatrix. "The Dark Lord may be very interested to know, but it's just too damn bad I'm not in a mood to allow you to live."_

"_We've got to get rid of her and save those poor Muggles," muttered Harry as he saw the Death Eaters cheering as a small girl, no older than four or five was being bounced up and down off the ground like a ping pong ball, while her parents, eleven year old witch sister, and what appeared to be a nine year old brother were forced to watch. _

"_As if you can defeat me, the most devoted servant to the Dark Lord," declared Bellatrix, as she aimed her wand, as Ginny and Hailey joined Harry in getting to their feet, before Bellatrix raised her wand. "Offennsu Undo…"_

_Bellatrix got knocked to the side by a banishing charm as Harry breathed a sigh of relief, as Bellatrix was about to hit them with the Shockwave Destruction Curse. The one curse that Harry had not been able to find a counter for, the same curse that allowed Wormtail to murder an entire street of Muggles and pin the incident on Sirius, causing Harry's godfather to have to spend twelve years in Azkaban._

_Bellatrix seemed to look up at her attacker, who was wearing plain robes, with a cloak with a hood pulled over his face. His face was obscured by a Slytherin scarf. _

"_I don't know who you are, but you won't deprive me of finishing off Potter!" declared Bellatrix, before pointing her wand towards their mysterious savior. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

_The attacker managed to dodge the attack with little effort as Harry decided to work on dismantling the barrier while Bellatrix was tied up with this guy. _

"_Stand still you whelp!" yelled Bellatrix. "CRUCIO!"_

_Bellatrix's specialty soared over her attacker's head as Harry removed a small Muggle flashlight from his pocket as Ginny and Hailey looked at Harry with a skeptical look in their eyes. _

"_A flashlight is going to stop that barrier, Harry," muttered Hailey with skepticism. _

"_Watch closely, sis and you'll see why," declared Harry, as he unscrewed the button of the flashlight allowing the batteries to fall out, before removing several wires. Harry placed the wires on the barrier. In a blink of an eye, a magical/electricity reaction flowed through the barrier, causing a glitch that disrupted the spells used to form the barrier and caused it to dissolve. _

"_Brilliant, Harry," said Hailey. _

"_Thanks Hailey, but let's focus, stunners right now," muttered Harry and three jets of red light were sent from the wands, but they bounced off the Death Eaters, who turned around, not harmed at the least._

"_Potter, you really think we weren't expecting an attack today," declared one of the Death Eaters in a pompous voice. "We are wearing magical body armor underneath our robes, able to absorb many commonly used spells, including stunning spells." _

"_Let's see how well that armor absorbs our fists," declared Raph, as the two Turtles, still obscured darted around the area, before leaping up and catching a pair of Death Eaters off guard with kicks, but it only staggered the Death Eaters back a few steps. _

"_Your invisible friends won't help you…" declared the same Death Eater, maintaining his pompous tone, but Hailey had darted behind him, before levitating a large rock that was on the pathway and attempting to dump it on the Death Eater's head, but the Death Eater sliced the wand in half. Harry and Ginny were fighting a Death Eater each, as the family of Muggles seemed spell bound, but none of their attacks seemed to have worked. Harry wondered if some of the more obscure and powerful spells in the library of Salazar Slytherin would be able to penetrate the armor._

_Over his shoulder, Harry saw that Bellatrix Lestrange was blasted backwards into a wall by her attacker. Bellatrix might have seen it as an insult to her abilities to wear the magical body armor, and she rose to her feet, but her wrists were bound in thick cords by her attacker. Struggling, Bellatrix managed to slice the ropes free, causing the scarf to slip down the face of the attacker, revealing the face of Draco Malfoy._

"DRACO MALFOY!" yelled Fred and George in unison in the Weasley Family kitchen.

"Attacking Death Eaters," started Fred.

"Saving his mortal enemy from destruction," continued George.

"From his aunt," added Fred.

"BLOODY HELL!" exclaimed the twins in unison.

"Exactly our reaction when we saw it," declared Harry nodding. "Let me finish the story through.

_Bellatrix looked at her nephew before stepping backwards in shock and utter disgust, as if she would be contaminated by something disgusting. Harry seemed to be utterly in shock, but he was brought out of his dazed state by a yell of "Crucio!" _

"_You filthy little blood traitor!" yelled Bellatrix, as she aimed a cutting curse towards Draco, but Draco managed to barely block it with a shield, that got sliced to ribbons and Draco sent a volley of rapid fire spells at Bellatrix. _

"_It appears that the student has outstripped the teacher, Aunt Bellatrix," drawled Draco pompously, as he blasted a net from his wand, but Bellatrix sliced it into ribbons. Another spell knocked Bellatrix in the chest, causing her to wheeze in pain and reach up her sleeve, for a Portkey, before tapping her wand activating it and popping into mid air just as Draco sent a stunning spell at her. _

_Harry, Hailey, Ginny, Raph, and Leo were not faring well against the Death Eaters, as their magical armor had blocked many of the attacks. Sweat rolled down the face of the Boy-Who-Lived, as he felt his body temperature rising, even through a chilling fog still lingered in the air around them, but Malfoy removed a set of silver orbs from his robes, before tapping each them with his wand, and then blasting them towards the Death Eaters. The orbs latched onto the arms of five of the six Death Eaters, causing currents of magical energy to flow through their bodies, knocking them to the ground. One Death Eater remained and Harry's wand began to glow a nearly blinding orange color, before shooting a large jet of orange light from his wand right at the Death Eater. The Death Eater laughed, before he began to glow and then spontaneously combust right before their very eyes. The ashes of what was once a Death Eater fluttered to the ground as Harry's body heat began to lower down and he looked at his wand, that felt uneasily cool. _

_Draco Malfoy looked at Harry, surveying him with a curious look before extending his hand forward._

"_That was an excellent piece of work, Potter," declared Malfoy, as his hand extended forward but he found three wands pointed to his chest, each from Hailey, Ginny, and Harry. _

"_Okay, Malfoy, what game are you playing," declared Ginny in a threatening voice. _

"_In case you didn't notice, Weasley, I saved all of your lives," declared Malfoy, as he twitched at the sight of the three wands. "So lower you wands, I did nothing wrong to you." _

"_Malfoy, explain something to me," replied Harry slowly. "Why?"_

"_Potter, it all started when you had my father sent to Azkaban," declared Malfoy. "For a short time, I blamed you for it, just like I blamed you for everything else bad that has ever happened to me since I began at Hogwarts. Then, it struck me one night, if my father never joined Lord Voldemort, then he would have never been sent to Azkaban."_

"_Wow, Malfoy, you think," declared Hailey in a sarcastic and quite skeptical voice but Harry seemed a bit surprised that Draco Malfoy had actually said Voldemort's name. _

"_Now make no mistake about it Potter, we will never see eye to eye, I will never be open minded about Mudbloods and blood traitors like you are, but for the time being, I feel it might be in our benefit to work together, at least until Voldemort is finished once and for all," declared Malfoy. "He says he works for blood purity, but really, we both know that he only works for his own power. As a result, I have dedicated my life to bringing down Voldemort and I think it might be beneficial if we worked together to bring him down."_

"_You want us to work together, Malfoy," repeated Harry, as Hailey looked at Harry with an incredulous look, as if she couldn't believe her brother would even consider this. Ginny seemed to be nearly as apprehensive for a few seconds, but also seemed interested to see where this was going. _

"_Potter, I know quite a bit about the Dark Arts and exactly how the Death Eaters fight, from both my father and Aunt Bellatrix," declared Draco. "I could be of some use for you and in turn you could get me back into Hogwarts."_

"_I knew it!" yelled Hailey in triumph. "Your father couldn't manage to buy your way back into Hogwarts, so you disguised to come crawling to my brother and see if he might try and persuade the board of governors to let you in. As far as I'm concerned, you deserve a joint cell in Azkaban next to your father…"_

"_And as far as I'm concerned, you should be quiet," drawled Draco. "You know nothing of my life, so don't presume that I am like my father." _

"_Hailey, quiet," declared Harry, before turning his attention to Draco. "I shall see what I can do to get your expulsion from Hogwarts lifted."_

_Malfoy nodded as Hailey looked sour but at that moment, many more Ministry of Magic Aurors, lead by Scrimgeour appeared the scene. A couple of the Aurors looked like they had barely escaped getting the Dementor's Kiss appeared on the scene as well. _

"_We saw the entire thing Mr. Scrimgeour, this young man managed to duel Bellatrix Lestrange to a stand still," declared a female Auror, pointing to Draco Malfoy. _

"_Well, Draco Malfoy, isn't that interesting, the son of the former Minister of Magic," declared Scrimgeour in a bit of a forced voice before turning towards Harry. "Ah, young Mr. Potter, it seems you always get into these tight fixes, doesn't it?"_

_Scrimgeour bent down, to talk to Harry in private. _

"_What exactly happened here today anyway?" asked Scrimgeour in a low voice. _

"_Well you know about the Dementors, but a group of Death Eaters began to terrorize this family, all of them Muggles, except for their daughter who looks to be starting Hogwarts this year," declared Harry. "Hailey, Ginny, and I managed to fight our way past the Dementors but were attacked by Bellatrix Lestrange. She prepared to kill us with the Shockwave Destruction Curse but Malfoy showed up and managed to distract her by engaging her in a duel. This allowed us to disable a barrier that the Death Eaters held up and we engaged the Death Eaters."_

"_And you were successful in beating them," declared Scrimgeour. _

"_Actually, they managed to acquire some type of magical armor that repelled most of our attacks," declared Harry, which caused Scrimgeour to frown. _

"_Magical armor is strictly regulated by the Ministry, I'm very interested to see where they got their hands in this item," declared Scrimgeour, in an undertone. "But exactly how were they knocked out."_

"_Ask Malfoy, he used some kind of orb, don't know if it was magical or not, to send a powerful shockwave through the armor, basically stunning the Death Eater," replied Harry. "That's all I know."_

"_Very well, thank you for your information, Mr. Potter," declared Scrimgeour in a business like tone of voice, before turning to Draco, to question him as the Aurors were attempting to console the hysterical Muggle woman as her children looked equally disturbed from what had just happened. _

"_This Professor Trelawney or whatever said she would come back right away and those foul, evil things came after us," cried the woman in a horrified voice. "They tormented us, no one could save us, if this is what the Magical World is all about, then I don't want my daughter to have any part of it…"_

"_Madam with all due respect, your daughter needs to attend Hogwarts, as an untrained muggleborn witch could be a very dangerous thing to your household," declared one of the Aurors in a stern voice. _

"_And I'm right here!" declared Professor Trelawney in a slightly flustered voice, as she walked onto the scene. "A premonition drew me away from here, but if I had foreseen what had happened, with the forces of You-Know-Who, I would have not left this area."_

"_Let's go before she spots us and predicts one of our deaths," muttered Ginny, as Harry bent down, managing to remove a fragment of the magical armor along with one of the magical orbs that Malfoy had used. _

"_Good idea, she seems to be more mad than usual," replied Harry. "We need to find out if the others are okay at any rate." _

"And thankfully everyone was all okay and we arrived here a few minutes later and you know the rest," declared Harry, as he turned to Fred, George, and Mikey, along with the others who hadn't heard the full story. "As for my reasons for taking Draco Malfoy's words to be true, well there is a good chance that he is up to something. As the old saying goes, you need to keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

Harry sighed briefly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Then again, there is a very slim chance that Malfoy had turned over a new leaf," declared Harry calmly. "Not that I believe it's very likely, but stranger things have happened. I'm going to let everything play out before I deal with Malfoy. It's not like he is high on the list of threats against my life."

"I don't like it, but I have faith that you know what you're doing Harry," replied Ginny.

"I still think you should have hexed Malfoy on sight, but I guess you wouldn't have found out anything," declared Hailey.

"Still, do be careful, my son," interjected Master Splinter. "From what you have told me, Lucius Malfoy was a rather talented manipulator. It is highly possible that his own son had picked up a few skills in that area from him."

The others nodded, muttering similar sentiments. Harry had briefly entertained the notion that Malfoy maybe playing all sides against each other for benefits only known to him, but Draco Malfoy didn't seem to be the type that would think of something that cerebral. If Malfoy had some kind of grander scheme in mind, Harry felt it was necessary to allow Malfoy to believe that he had gained Harry's trust. Sooner or later, Malfoy's own ego would make him trip up and then Harry would have him.

Still, there were more pressing matters for Harry to go over. Harry still needed to analyze that fragment of magical body armor he had swiped along with what Malfoy had used to disable it. Perhaps they would offer some clue about Voldemort's plans, no matter how obscure. Also, Harry was curious exactly why his body temperature seemed to heat up to a higher temperature, despite being cool just seconds earlier, before he sent that Spontaneous Combustion Curse at that Death Eater. He suspected it might have had something to do with his mystic abilities that seemed to manifest at the oddest of times. Granted, Harry found himself mastering mystically related to mystical abilities, most prominently with elements regarding water and fire, but also some slight experience with air, earth, and metal.

At any rate, it was something that Harry had shoved to the backburner because other things kept coming up, but he resolved to find a way to control his abilities with more accuracy. No doubt the Slytherin library had something about the abilities. After all, the most famous mystic in the entire History of Magic was Salazar Slytherin himself. Surely, Harry would be able to find something in his library, once he searched in thoroughly.

The Dementor-induced fog in Knockturn Alley was much thicker than that of Diagon Alley, as Draco Malfoy pulled his hood up, shuddering, despite the triumph he had achieved earlier in the day. His Aunt Bellatrix had thought that Malfoy's plan would not work, but it turned out that Potter had bought his ruse hook, line, and sinker. Soon, Draco would be the Dark Lord's most devoted servant, once had had finished Harry Potter once and for all. His defeats of the Death Eaters were staged, in fact all of the Death Eaters save for Bellatrix and another one, were transfigured Inferi. The non-Inferius Death Eater was the one fried to a crisp by Potter, but fortunately, he was a new recruit, barely out of Durmstrang. Without the magical body armor that Draco had found in the Malfoy family vault, those Death Eaters have been dispatched by the fabled Platinum Trio in no time flat. Sadly, they were the only six suits of their kind, but Draco amused himself thinking about Potter wasting valuable time and resources attempting to find out ways to counteract armor that would have not existed any longer once the Ministry found a way to destroy it.

Draco Malfoy wanted revenge on Potter to point where he was nearly obsessed with seeing the Boy-Who-Lived on his knees, begging for his life. The filthy half blood had the gall to get himself sorted into the Slytherin house and steal Draco's role as the future leader of the house. Draco watched with horror as Potter assumed a leader ship role with the younger Slytherin students, poisoning their minds with false ideals about Mudbloods, half bloods, and blood traitors being on equal footing with those of pure blood, the true power in the Wizarding World. Much to Draco's horror, they began forging friendships with Gryffindors and turned their back on the true face of the Slytherin house, like they were the ones to be outcasts.

In what was a mistake in hindsight, Draco had engaged Potter in a duel during their fourth year. Draco had used an Unforgivable in front of witnesses and had been expelled from Hogwarts. Instead of allowing Draco's crime to be wiped clean, Potter had managed to block Draco from receiving any further magical education. There was no doubt in Draco's mind that Potter feared him.

After his father had been put in Azkaban, The Dark Lord had presented Draco with the task of killing Harry Potter. As a reaction to this task that the Dark Lord had set upon him, Draco had hatched a plan. A plan that both his mother and Aunt Bellatrix had insisted would not work. When he took the plan to The Dark Lord, the Dark Lord seemed to be quite supportive and allowed Draco to put his plan into action. A plan that would lead to Draco Malfoy taking Potter's spot as the beloved hero that the Wizarding World rallied upon and Potter in turn being turned into the outcast, the pariah of the Wizarding World. Potter's life would be ruined, his reputation tainted beyond all believe, before Draco finished him off once and for all. The Dark Lord had given his blessing to the plan, so Draco had the utmost confidence it would not fail. Potter would pay for his crimes against the Malfoy Family.

Pushing open the door to Borgin and Burkes, Draco slipped inside, his wand at the ready, before approaching Mr. Borgin, who was wrapped in several layers of blankets, shivering at the presence of Dementors that had been known to lurk within the depths of Knockturn Alley.

"May I help you?" asked Borgin.

"You have acquired a set of family heirlooms that were in Lestrange Manor before they were sent to Azkaban," declared Draco in a cold voice that he knew his father to use to show he would be in control of the conversation, before handing Borgin a pair of photographs. "To be specific, these artifacts are what I require, I will pay a fairly handsome sum for the pair of them."

"I do apologize, but while I do have the dagger, the pensieve I have never seen in my life," said Borgin. "Are you quite sure it was in Lestrange Manor at the time of their, capture?"

"Yes, I am quite sure!" declared Draco in a testy voice, as he waved his wand, with sparks flying out of it, causing Borgin to back off.

"It is quite possible that someone removed it from the premises before the Ministry turned up to confiscate all of the artifacts," declared Borgin.

"Possible, maybe," replied Draco in a skeptical voice. "Fetch the dagger then, Borgin and you will be rewarded."

"Very well," muttered Borgin, giving Draco a short bow, before disappearing behind a black curtain and reappearing a short time later with a rusty looking dagger with a sinister black handle on the blade. The Lestrange family crest was on it. "I'm not exactly sure why you want it, I've never found the slightest hint of special powers put on it."

"Of course, it wouldn't be anything that you know of," drawled Draco. "The metal used to make this dagger is really a solidified form of a rare and quite potent poison. Once this dagger draws blood, the poison spreads to the blood stream, causing vital organs to expand until they explode within the victim, causing a painful death."

"Exactly how long does this take?" asked Borgin out of morbid curiosity.

"Depends on how magically powerful the victim is," responded Draco. "For a Muggle, their life can't even be measured in seconds. Average wizard, perhaps they might last ten, fifteen seconds at the most. The most powerful wizards may last up to two or three minutes. Then there are those wizards who have extraordinary amounts of magical power. Merlin, the Founders of Hogwarts, Dumbledore, The Dark Lord, and the Scarhead-That-Won't-Die, Harry Potter, as much as it pains me to say it."

Draco paused for dramatic effect.

"The dagger hasn't been tested on those people, so they might last quite enough time, as their magic fights the potion, but since the poison is rare, there is no antidote, so they will succumb in time once their resistance finally breaks down," declared Draco, before turning to Mr. Borgin. "Tell me, Mr. Borgin, how powerful are you?"

"I think that is highly relevant," declared Borgin. "Now as for your payment for the dagger…"

"No, I am curious to see how powerful you might be, Mr. Borgin," drawled Draco as he raised the dagger up. Borgin was too weak to raise his wand in time, having been in close proximity to Dementors all day long. Draco stabbed the dagger right into Borgin's arm.

In a matter of seconds, Borgin gave a pained, but brief scream, before sliding from his chair, all the way to the ground. He didn't last five seconds before his organs combusted.

Draco looked down at Borgin's body, before nodding curtly, before using his Portkey to disappear without a trace. It would be days or even weeks before Aurors would care enough to investigate a death of a shady shopkeeper in Knockturn Alley, but Draco did not want anyone to tie him to Borgin's mysterious death.

In the kitchen of the Burrow in the very early hours of the morning, Harry was bent over the piece of magical armor that he had managed to obtain, taking a sip from the cup of coffee that he had made himself. Ginny had tried to go to sleep without Harry close by, but found she was unable to, as shadowed images of Tom taunted her in her dreams, so she got up and joined Harry, in his work.

"Very interesting," muttered Harry, as he scanned the fragment of armor. "It seems to be silver fused with some type of rare dragon hide, but damned if I know what type of dragon it is."

"Maybe you should ask, Charlie," suggested Ginny. "He might know."

"It isn't important right now, and I don't need that knowledge to confirm a theory I have," said Harry.

Harry brought the orb to the center of the table, before waving his wand over the orb and sure enough, it confirmed Harry's theory.

"Just as I thought, these orbs are made like the armor, but the metal is just a bit harder, enough so that it would penetrate the armor, sending the shockwaves through them," declared Harry. "Just enough to stun those Transfigured Inferi."

"Transfigured Inferi, did I miss something, love?" asked Ginny.

"Well the only actual Death Eaters were the one I incinerated and Bellatrix," declared Harry. "Don't mention this to anyone, as I want Malfoy to think that I fell for his ruse and the less people who know how much I suspect, the better. Five of those Death Eaters were Inferi that were transfigured and promptly charmed with basic dueling techniques. The armor prevented us from getting a shot in."

"So, you suspected that Malfoy had something to do with that attack from the start," said Ginny. "But what's his game?"

"If I knew, I would have never faked pretending that I was fooled by Malfoy's exhibition," replied Harry. "I'm going to do everything in my power getting him back into Hogwarts, so I can see his plan completely play out. Of course, with that little exhibition, Malfoy might have endeared himself enough to get himself back into Hogwarts without my help."

"Harry, I trust your judgment but I honestly hope this does not blow up in your face," said Ginny. "Malfoy doesn't seem like a threat, granted, but he has had two years to stew after he was expelled, so he…"

"I can handle Malfoy, Ginny," responded Harry in a firm voice that left no room for argument. "Along with whatever plan he might be able to come up with. I doubt he could string together a plan that I couldn't ruin in no time flat. Malfoy can't beat me."

Harry gave a yawn, in spite himself, before checking his watch. Ginny looked worried, hoping that Harry wasn't getting too confident and self assured about his ability to easily defeat Malfoy. Still, she reasoned with herself that Harry had fought more dangerous threats than Draco Malfoy before and survived.

Still, it didn't help with a nagging suspicion that Harry might be taking Malfoy a bit too lightly. Harry had been spreading himself too thin with the fight against Voldemort, and it would be the perfect time for someone like Draco Malfoy to take advantage of Harry's distracted state. Malfoys were nothing but opportunists.

"Now, we still have a few more hours that we can sleep, before we have to get up for Breakfast," said Harry with a yawn, before moving from the kitchen, with Ginny walking closely behind him. It had been a long day.


	12. Chapter 12: Rumble on Hogwarts Express

**Chapter Twelve: Rumble on the Hogwarts Express**

"The Hogwarts Board of Governors calls this hearing to reinstate Draco Malfoy's status as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry into order," declared the balding man at the head of a table, with twelve other Governors sitting, looking rather attentive. "I, lead governor, Herbert Sinkelback will be presiding and will be the deciding vote in the case of a split decision."

Harry sat in the shadows, watching as an aide brought Malfoy into the room. Malfoy had frayed robes and his hair looked like it had not been washed in several days. Harry looked across the room, seeing Albus Dumbledore sitting right across from him. It seemed Dumbledore looked a bit healthier then from the time Harry had last seen him, but Dumbledore did not acknowledge the presence of the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Mr. Malfoy, you have petitioned the Board of Governors to reinstate your status as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry which had been terminated at the mid way point of the 1994-1995 Hogwarts school year for using an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow student," declared Sinkelback in a booming voice. "The Ministry of Magic chose to wave the right to send you to Azkaban because of your status as a minor but decreed that you were to never attend any magical school, whether it be in Great Britain or abroad. The Board of Governors upheld that decision and we are eagerly anticipating the defense against the charges that have been laid out before you on this day."

Draco stood to his feet, with a neutral look on his face. By looking at his face, Harry couldn't tell whether Malfoy was nervous or extremely confident that he would succeed in returning to Hogwarts on this day.

"My father had put me under an extraordinary amount of pressure to succeed and take up a leader ship role within the Slytherin House at Hogwarts," declared Malfoy in a bland voice. "Despite my best efforts, Harry Potter had seemed to be able to push his way to the forefront as the face of Slytherin. This left a great amount of distaste in my mouth, as myself and Potter were not exactly the best of friends, because of a misunderstanding we had on the Hogwarts express and our views on how the Wizarding World should be structured differed."

Malfoy took a deep breath as the governors listened intently.

"This bad blood boiled to a head one morning, ending up in a duel on the Quidditch field at Hogwarts," continued Malfoy. "Not my finest hour, but it turned out that Potter managed to beat me on that day and I took defeat in the worse way, lashing out at Potter and pushing him with the Cruciatias Curse. This attack was in front of several witnesses and not even my father could sweep it completely under the rug, not that he should have of course."

Harry sat in the shadows, Malfoy seemed to have rehearsed this story and a few of the members of the board of governors seemed to hang onto his every word, but several still did not appear to buy Malfoy's change of heart at all. A woman with dark brown hair placed in a bun raised her hand, with a bit of a skeptical look on her face.

"The Board of Governors recognizes Gwendolyn Myers," declared Sinkelback.

"I think it is a waste of time to even consider this matter regarding Mr. Malfoy," declared Myers. "The incident in the boy's fourth year was not the first complaint we have received about the boy's behavior. His slurs and bullying of muggleborn students have been well documented and Albus Dumbledore as usual turns a blind eye to the misdemeanors of his students. I'd say it is fortunate that Draco Malfoy has been expelled, as perhaps it would save the world of another potential You-Know-Who."

Myers took a deep breath before proceeding, her eyes fixed on Harry who sat in the corner.

"In fact, I think that Malfoy should remain expelled and we should look into the behavior of one Mr. Harry Potter," declared Myers, with a smirk.

"I fail to see where Harry Potter's behavior is relevant to this case, Governor Myers," declared an old member of the Board.

"While Malfoy did fire that Unforgivable Curse, Mr. Potter is equally responsible for continuing to not turn away from Malfoy's taunts," declared Myers. "Let us not forget that Harry Potter was once believed petrifying Hogwarts students and he is a proven Parseltongue. A mark of a dark wizard, I might add."

"This is irrelevant, Ms. Myers," declared Dumbledore in a kindly voice. "Mr. Potter received those abilities because of a magical backlash caused when Lord Voldemort attempted to kill him. He is no more evil than you or me."

Harry refrained from comment, but he wondered exactly why Dumbledore had decided to speak up on his behavior.

"But, the boy was sorted into Slytherin…" declared Ms. Myers.

"Yes, we know of your distaste of the house, just a couple of weeks ago you tried and introduce a piece of legislation to abolish the Slytherin house from Hogwarts, along with all of their students expelled," replied a governor with jet black hair and a goatee. "Mr. Potter is not the subject of this hearing, Draco Malfoy is and neither are your views on the Slytherin house."

"Well, let me just say this, once Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter are both out of Hogwarts, the school will be a lot more smoothly run," declared Myers.

"Oh I remember how smoothly run it was last year when Professor Dumbledore and myself were not there," declared Harry, deciding not to drag his distaste for Dumbledore out into a rather public forum, but rather using his name to make a point. "Umbridge took the school and made it into her own personal playground, but I'm sure the Board of Governors did all they could to stop that from happening."

"We were unaware, you foolish child!" snapped Myers. "Umbridge had the backing of the Ministry on her side, the Minister of Magic, the father of the case of our subject today and we were sent reports detailing that nothing was out of order."

"Reports that it might have been a good idea to check up on," drawled Draco in a bored voice. "I would think you would have the measure of who my father was, considering he blackmailed the lot of you only a few years ago to get Dumbledore out of Hogwarts."

There was muttering from the governors, as Myers looked very cross, muttering something about Slytherins under her breath.

"If I may speak," prompted Dumbledore calmly.

"The floor is yours Headmaster," declared Sinkelback.

"Draco Malfoy was shown the wrong path by his father, who is a noted follower of Lord Voldemort," replied Dumbledore causing the Board of Governors to flinch which Dumbledore cheerfully ignored. "We do make foolish errors when we are young, errors that we should forgive and forget. It seems by his recent heroic actions in Diagon Alley, he has turned over a new leaf and deserves a second chance to make a better life for himself. In addition, it would be better for him to remain under supervision at Hogwarts and not be tempted by the Dark Arts outside."

Dumbledore looked around with a twinkle in his eyes. Harry remained silent, it seemed Dumbledore was working hard to get Draco back to Hogwarts, so Harry suspected that Dumbledore also suspected that Draco was up to something and wanted to keep an eye on Draco. Then again, who could ever guess what was running through the mind of the manipulative Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Of course, we must take the proper precautions," declared Dumbledore in his best grandfatherly voice. "Young Draco will have a magic suppressor put on his wand to prevent him from having an Unforgivable relapse. He will also be requested to report to me twice a week."

"These precautions are most acceptable Dumbledore, but if we find that Draco is acting out of line, he will be out of Hogwarts and you will be out of the position as Hogwarts Headmaster," declared Sinkelback.

"Excellent suggestion but I have one minor addition and then I might actually consider letting the Slytherin back in," declared Myers in a snide voice. "Why don't we have Mr. Potter put his status as Hogwarts student up as collateral? If Malfoy steps out of line, not only will Dumbledore be looking for a new job, but Harry Potter will be out of Hogwarts once and for all."

"Now, I say that's hardly necessary…." Stated Sinkelback but Myers waved her hand dismissively.

"Mr. Potter seemed to trust Mr. Malfoy's change of heart enough to help him petition for this hearing," declared Myers with a smirk. "Surely, he is confident enough to risk expulsion, unless of course he is a coward like the rest of the Slytherins."

"Fine, you want me to play your little game Myers, I'll put my status as Hogwarts student up," said Harry calmly, but his eyes showed that he was quite irritated and under any other circumstances, he would have never done it but it was Harry's belief that there might not be a Hogwarts in a year's time. Plus, it would lure Malfoy into a false sense of security.

"Very well and I agree to resign as Hogwarts Headmaster, on the off chance Draco Malfoy steps out of line," declared Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling.

"Very well, as Mr. Malfoy suggested, I will be making frequent checks to Hogwarts to make sure everything is in order," declared Myers. "But of course, let's not count our phoenixes before they hatch, we still need to bring this matter to a vote."

"Very well, all in favor of overturning Draco Malfoy's expulsion at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," declared Sinkelbank and nearly all of the hands raised, including the hand of Gwendolyn Myers, who looked really pleased with herself. "All against."

Only two hands raised, both of them obviously still holding a grudge from being blackmailed by Lucius Malfoy during the Chamber of Secrets incident.

"Very well, the motion passes that Draco Malfoy has been reinstated as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the year that he was expelled in his fourth," declared Sinkelback in a booming voice as Draco looked insulted that he had to start back up right where he left off, but quickly hid his look into a neutral expression. "He will be escorted to the Auror Department where a magical suppressor will be put on his wand and is to make regular checks to Albus Dumbledore, the pensieve memory of the meeting will be sent to us to review. And should Draco Malfoy have any hint of his former behavior, Harry Potter will be expelled as a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Albus Dumbledore will be forced to resign from his position as Hogwarts Headmaster."

Harry watched as Draco nodded and Dumbledore rose to his feet with a jovial expression on his face, before turning to the other Governors.

"Well, if you don't mind, I need to be returning to Hogwarts," declared Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye and the Board gave a collective nod, which Dumbledore took as his cue to depart.

"Mr. Potter you are dismissed as well," declared Sinkelback his booming voice. "Mr. Malfoy, I shall escort you to the Auror Department so the magical suppressor could be replaced on your wand. This meeting of the Hogwarts Board of Governors is adjourned!"

Harry walked from the meeting room without a word, before turning around the corner. He made a mental note to attempt to keep an eye on Dumbledore, remembering that the Headmaster had been laying rather low ever since Voldemort had returned after the third task in the Triwizard Tournament. Harry very much doubted that Dumbledore would suggest Malfoy return to Hogwarts if the crafty Headmaster did not have a reason.

A part of Harry did wonder whether Dumbledore had finally given up on attempting to manipulate Harry and switched his efforts to make Draco his puppet. Malfoy did gain a fair bit of good press in the Daily Prophet recently when he had helped beat the Death Eaters in Diagon Alley, so Dumbledore might have look to regain some of his faded reputation that he had lost over the past few years because of some rather questionable decisions.

The Ministry of Magic hadn't figured out that the Death Eaters were really transfigured Inferi or if they did, they weren't admitting it. From what Harry found out from Scrimgeour, they only questioned Death Eaters that had previously talked their way out of imprisonment or had escaped Azkaban. So it was highly possible that if they had believed that the Death Eaters were just new recruits,

Harry looked over his shoulder to make certain that no one had followed him, before pulling his the hood of his cloak around his face to conceal it from view and then disapparating softly towards his next destination of the day.

Looking around the lobby of St. Mungos, Harry could see that there were many Healers walking around, looking rather frantic.

"Merlin, another Muggle given the Dementor's Kiss, that's the third one today," muttered a frazzled looking female Healer.

"Well at least we don't have to explain what happened to the Muggles," declared another Healer. "My brother works at the Ministry and they had to modify memories all day. The official word for most of these deaths is that they were put in a coma because of a gas explosion."

"Wouldn't the Muggles catch on there were a large number of gas explosions?" asked the first healer.

"Well, that's their problem to come up with different explanations, we just try to make the rest of their soulless lives as comfortable as possible before they die," replied the second Healer, shrugging his shoulders before walking off.

Harry turned to consult the board that had information on the floor plan. Making a logical deduction, Harry had no hesitation that Hermione would be on the fourth floor, in the spell damage ward of the magical hospital. Without a word, Harry made his way up the stairs, careful to stick to the shadows to avoid everyone. Even through he meant no harm, having his face disguised might cause some questions that Harry did not want to answer. It was best if no one but Hermione had known that he was at St. Mungos.

Peering through the screen door, he saw Hermione who looked rather weak, but at least she was conscious, a vast improvement from the last time Harry had seen her just a few weeks previously.

Opening the door, Harry slipped inside. With a quick movement, he closed the door before anyone could noticed. As he walked over, Hermione looked up weakly, with a bit of a terrified look on her face, before Harry pulled his hood from his face causing Hermione to relax instantly.

"Oh, hi, Harry," said Hermione in a soft voice, indicating that she was very weak.

"Now Hermione, I'm rather disappointed in you," declared Harry with a bit of a smirk. "No security question to see whether I'm the real Harry and not some Death Eater disguised as Harry Potter using Polyjuice Potion. I thought I taught you better in the study group to look for such things, no matter what the circumstances."

"Now, Harry, you wouldn't remind me of this if you really were a Death Eater," said Hermione with a weak smile.

"Of course, I could be reminding you of this to lure you into a false sense of security," replied Harry.

"Damn Slytherin logic," grumbled Hermione weakly. All right, Harry, what is your favorite pizza topping?"

"Pepperoni with Chocolate sauce and marshmallows," replied Harry without hesitation. "Of course, any Death Eater really should thoroughly research such things before trying to impersonate me."

"I just woke up from what Bellatrix did to me about a week or so ago," prompted Hermione. "I just managed to keep food down a couple of days ago. That black rope curse did a lot of damage to my internal organs, but the Healers managed to find the right amount of potions to begin the healing process. It will be a couple of weeks before the damage is completely undone."

"When do you think they'll release you, Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Damned if I know," grumbled Hermione. "I hope not too long, because I really want to get out of here. And not only because Hogwarts starts tomorrow, because it's really boring in here. They won't allow me to even read a book, because they're afraid it might over stimulate me."

Harry didn't know what to say.

"Of course, they think I'm weak, I'm delicate, because I'm a muggleborn," declared Hermione in an agitated voice. "The big bad pureblood dark witch broke me and now they have to reconstruct the pieces. It's a wonder they let me breath, because…"

Hermione stopped, shaking her head.

"But, I know who put me like this and once I get out of here, Bellatrix will pay," whispered Hermione darkly.

"Hermione, you don't know what you're talking about, she'll kill you," replied Harry in a stern voice.

"She almost did this time, Harry, but I don't care," said Hermione, who had a dark look in her eyes. "She nearly ripped me to shreds during my third year, now she broke into my house, killing both of my parents, and she's out there, free to kill even more people."

"Hermione, she was trained personally by Voldemort," replied Harry. "Actually killing someone is easier said than done. It requires the proper focus, skill, and timing, along with a bit of luck. I agree that she's better off dead than alive, but it's just not that simple."

Hermione crossed her arms, looking rather sour.

"Yes, Harry, I know, but the thought of strangling the air out of Bellatrix Lestrange is enticing," whispered Hermione, with a dreamy, far off look in her eyes as Harry took a step back, wondering if Bellatrix's attack had rattled Hermione's mind.

"Hermione, you're going to hurt yourself if you try and duel Bellatrix…" started Harry but Hermione cut him off.

"The only one that is going to get hurt Bellatrix Lestrange," replied Hermione sharply, as menace danced madly in Hermione's eyes, which caused Harry a great deal of concern.

"Fine Hermione whatever you want to think, but I still think you should be careful," said Harry in a slightly uneasy tone of voice, before hastily changing the subject. "Hermione, I wanted to ask your opinion about something."

"Of course, Harry," replied Hermione, whose interesting was piqued, seeming a lot more like her former self once they were off the subject of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Draco Malfoy, I don't know if you heard or not how he fought off Death Eaters at Diagon Alley," replied Harry calmly.

"I overheard the healers talking about that when I drift in and out, there was supposed to be a hearing about reinstating his status of Hogwarts student or some such rubbish but I had to have been delirious, because I doubt there would be anyway that you would stand back and let Malfoy back into Hogwarts, after all that's happened," declared Hermione.

"Actually Hermione, I pushed for the hearing, but hear me out before you say anything," replied Harry. "At Diagon Alley, Hailey, Ginny, and I got into an altercation with some Death Eaters, along with a few Dementors. After we managed to chase off the Dementors, we were attacked by…a rather prominent Death Eater."

"It was Bellatrix wasn't it, Harry," declared Hermione in a calm voice, but there was a glint of anger in her eye at the thought of Bellatrix. "Honestly Harry, I'm not going to turn into a fire breathing demon just because I hear her name…anyway continue."

"Right, so Bellatrix attacked us, I tried to kill her," declared Harry, deciding to emphasize those three words. "She managed to stay a few steps ahead of us, until Malfoy showed up in a disguise, managing to battle Bellatrix to a standstill, before taking out the other Death Eaters with the exception of one."

"Did that other Death Eater escape?" asked Hermione in a stiff voice.

"No, actually I incinerated him with a spontaneous combustion charm," replied Harry in a calm voice with Hermione with an awed look on her face. "Yes I know, dark arts, but to be fair I was dealing with Death Eaters and the charm just happened."

"No, Harry, I understand, you're going to have to teach me that one sometime," declared Hermione, who had visions of Bellatrix bursting into flames dancing her head before adding. "Just for the purpose of acquiring the knowledge of course, but anyway continue."

"Well Malfoy and I went face to face, and Malfoy suggested that we should join forces against Voldemort, telling me that he seen the light, that his father was wrong from following Voldemort," declared Harry. "The Ministry of Magic believed him and seemed to agree with my suggestion that Malfoy should get his status as student as Hogwarts."

"Why, through, Harry?" asked Hermione with a frown. "Isn't life a lot less complicated without having to worry about one more thing? I mean, after all he's said and done, you would be foolish to believe that Malfoy has had a distract change in philosophy"

Harry looked around; making sure no one was in listening distance, before bending down to whisper to Hermione.

"It's obvious that his actions in Diagon Alley was a show to gain my trust and the trust of the rest of the Magical World, but I want to know what his game is, what exactly why he wanted to gain my trust?" asked Harry. "If he's close by at Hogwarts, then I'll be better able to keep an eye on him and perhaps deduce whatever he's up to. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to get a clue about what Voldemort's scheme is."

"You think Voldemort's behind this, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"I'm almost certain of it but Voldemort's been rather frustrating to deal with lately," declared Harry. "Ever since he stole those scrolls, he's been very quiet, with the exception of a few attacks by his Death Eaters and Dementors. I've had leads; nothing significant and whatever leads I've attempted to follow have lead to nothing. Voldemort's playing a crafty game and he's not letting me access all the pieces."

"Harry, just don't get too overconfident when regarding Malfoy," declared Hermione in a worried voice. "You might have been able to handle him easily two years ago, but Merlin knows what he's been doing since then. He could take advantage of your preoccupation with other threats and get the drop on you."

"Ginny told me the same thing, so has Mum and Master Splinter for that matter," said Harry.

"Well, they're right, this would be the perfect time for someone to get the drop on you" declared Hermione sternly, before looking up at the clock. "You better leave Harry, if you don't want to be seen. Dinner should be in about five minutes."

"Right, see you later Hermione, get well soon," said Harry.

"I'm intending to Harry, the sooner I get well, the sooner I get out of here and back to Hogwarts," responded Hermione. "Of all the years I have to be put in St. Mungos, it would have to be sixth year…"

"Hermione, don't worry, you can catch up when you get back," said Harry in a reassuring voice, before moving towards the door. "See you later."

"Okay Harry, bye," said Hermione, as she sank down onto the bed, with a deflated and quite bored look on her face, as Harry left, hoping that she would be declared fit enough to be released from the care of St. Mungos sooner than later.

Severus Snape walked down the hallway of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Headmaster had called him to his office as soon as possible and since Snape had already had his lesson plans finalized for the upcoming school year, it would have been no trouble to drop in to the Headmaster's office. Snape was curious at what Dumbledore had to say to him. The task that Snape was given on the condition of Dumbledore releasing him from the Unbreakable Vow was already going to tax all of Snape's cunning. Killing her would not be easy, as Lily had a more Slytherin mindset then perhaps ninety percent of the people sorted into that particular house. She had defied the Dark Lord three times, with James Potter being lucky enough to be in the same proximity as Lily when the Dark Lord attempted to kill them both. As far as Snape was concerned, Potter would have been killed the first time, as he was the textbook Gryffindor, rushing head first into battle. The type of people that the Dark Lord shredded through with little effort. While Lily had a temper, at least she was intelligent enough to keep it in line most the time and think logically, which without a doubt saved her life on a number of occasions.

Of course, the times where Lily did lose her temper caused her to have violent outbursts of accidental magic, something that Snape had observed in her son on a couple of occasions, mostly when dealing with Draco Malfoy and the other types of Slytherins that gave that noble house a bad name. The type of Slytherin that Snape sadly associated with in Hogwarts, which Snape regretted each and every day, but he shook his head. That was another time, long before Snape had put himself in the service of two the most manipulative wizards to ever walk the face of the magical world. The Dark Lord actually tended to be the lesser of two evils, as at least he didn't portray himself the champion of the light, while using people as his pawns from the shadows. Many of his followers may have guessed that Voldemort might have been only out for himself, but had continued to follow him out of a combination of fear and the hope that the Dark Lord would someday share some of his power. A hope that was false, the ambition of the foolish.

"Licorice Wand," muttered Snape, causing the gargoyle of Dumbledore's office to spring open allowing Snape entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"Enter," declared the voice of Albus Dumbledore and Snape pushed the door open, walking into the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, with a blank robotic look on his face, before rising to his feet.

"Ah yes, Severus, come this way please, I have something important to tell you," declared Dumbledore calmly and Snape just shrugged his shoulders, before following Dumbledore to the back of the office, where all the paintings of the past Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts were located. Dumbledore waved his wand, causing a tapestry off to the side of the paintings to roll up, revealing a section of stone wall. Dumbledore tapped the wand on the wall, revealing a knob. Reaching forward, the Headmaster twisted the knob, causing the stone wall to vanish. "This way Severus."

Snape followed Dumbledore down a winding set of stone stairs, to a cavernous room. It looked to be even further underneath the school than the Dungeons, as it took quite an amount of time to reach their destination. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they reached a painting depicting Dumbledore's defeat of Gridelwald.

"Downfall," declared Dumbledore calmly, causing the portrait to spring open, and Snape recoiled at the smell of rotting flesh.

"Why on Earth would you bring me down here?" asked Snape.

"Ah, Severus, so glad that you could make it down here," rasped a weak voice, and Snape turned and what he saw shocked him to the core.

It was Albus Dumbledore sitting in a rocking chair, with a Muggle oxygen tank sitting on one side and a Muggle i.v. that appeared to be pumping the Elixir of Life directly into the Headmaster's veins. Dumbledore's right hand looked completely rotted and lifeless and his left hand was rapidly approaching that point. His face looked lifeless, nearly skeletal, with cobwebs hanging from it.

"Headmaster I'm afraid I don't understand," muttered Snape, looking from the rather healthy looking Dumbledore to the one that looked like Death was just walking up the driveway towards his front door.

"Allow me to explain," declared Dumbledore in a weak voice. "Thirty five years ago, my body gave out because of the effects of aging and for all intents and purposes I died. Just as I drew my last breath, I managed to get to a vial of the Elixir of Life that I had swipe from my mentor Nicholas Flamel sometime previously. I poured the elixir down my throat, shielding myself from Death, just as my body shut down."

Dumbledore put the mask of the oxygen tank to his mouth, before drawing breath and then turning to Snape.

"With a lifetime of magical knowledge at my disposal, I used every ritual that I could think of, and managed to stretch my lifespan past what could have been realistically expected from even a wizard," explained Dumbledore weakly. "Rituals that I had to undergo every few years as no matter what my best efforts were, my body still broke down, my internal organs failing. The acquisition of the Philosopher's Stone gave me an unlimited supply of the Elixir of Life, but alas, each dose only forestalled my death by a few days, rather than the weeks or months that it would have previously. The strain of many rituals over the years caused my body to fail at a quicker rate. My latest attempt to keep my body from failing occurred prior to the end of last year at Hogwarts, only lasting a matter of weeks, my body beginning to shut down just days after I gave you the task of murdering Lily Potter."

Dumbledore paused, before continuing his explanation.

"Despite my degenerating state, I still was not without my resources," declared Dumbledore. "I managed to acquire the body of a young man who had been given the Dementor's Kiss. Summoning any strength possible, I used my transfiguration skills to transform him into an exact duplicate of myself and with one final dark ritual, I can mentally control him from this room, seeing everything he sees once I wear a charmed pair of spectacles."

"Headmaster, why are you telling me this now?" demanded Snape.

"I require your help one more time, Severus," declared Dumbledore, before hacking, and taking a breath into his oxygen tank. "There is but one final ritual that I have yet to attempt, to transfer my soul into another, younger body."

"Exactly whose body would this be, Headmaster," prompted Snape.

"I'm sure you are aware that Draco Malfoy will be returning to Hogwarts this year," remarked Dumbledore weakly. "Young Draco's body would be the perfect vessel to host my soul and then it will allow me to complete my plans."

"Are you certain this is the only way Headmaster?" asked Snape.

"Absolutely it is necessary. Naturally, I would have preferred Harry Potter, but the boy's bond with Miss Weasley makes him ill-advisable for possession of any kind," declared Dumbledore. "Tom would have been my second choice, but him splitting his soul with Horcruxes rules him out. So, Draco Malfoy will have to do. If everything goes to plan, my death will be a well publicized tragedy by this coming year at Hogwarts."

Snape remained silent, before addressing Dumbledore.

"We all must die sometime, Headmaster," replied Snape in a cool voice. "Using Draco's body may only be forestalling the inevitable."

"Ah yes, Severus, we all must die sometime," confirmed Dumbledore. "And your death will come rather soon if you defy me once more. Others will give their right arm to serve the most powerful magical entity that ever lived, without being forced to under an Unbreakable Vow. So do not forget your place and don't forget that the only way I am releasing you from this vow is if you kill Lily Potter before the end of the year and if you fail, your end will come."

Snape decided not to comment on Dumbledore referring to himself as the most powerful magical entity that ever lived as opposed to the most powerful wizard. It appeared that Dumbledore had seen himself above mere wizards, and Snape stepped back.

"Of course, I will do anything I can to make sure Draco is in position for use in this ritual," declared Snape in an emotionless voice.

"Very well, now depart," declared Dumbledore, and Dumbledore's duplicate lead Snape from the room, leaving the aging Headmaster alone with his thoughts.

Dumbledore realized that this ritual would have to go on without a hitch. Draco would come of age in June and that's when Dumbledore would make his move. By his calculations, Dumbledore had just that long before his body had crumbled into dust, no matter how much Elixir of Life he consumed. The last ritual to restore this body had pushed the body to its utter limits. His soul, his very essence, would be sucked back to the location he came from before he took on this primitive form. Without acquiring the use of a younger body, all of his plans would be sunk and he would have several more centuries, perhaps millennia of uncertainty, before he could manipulate his way out of his prison again. Over one hundred and twenty years of well laid plans would be destroyed, but no one would no the exact truth about his past life. No one had found out besides Lily Potter and Dumbledore had made sure those recollections were ripped from her memory. The only one who had known that Dumbledore had done this was Severus Snape and he would die if he had even hinted to anyone that Dumbledore had that Lily's memories of acquiring that incriminating information.

Soon, Dumbledore would find a way to return to his former glory and soon, everyone would fold to his power, just like all of his adversaries did some time ago in his previous life.

If anyone bothered to keep track, then perhaps someone would notice that the security at Kings Cross was rather tighter than usual. That fact was accounted for the number of Ministry of Magic Aurors incognito, attempting to make sure all the Hogwarts students arrived on the train safely. The Ministry had also encouraged parents or guardians of the students to supervise their charges up until the second they got on the train.

Harry made his way through the train, followed closely by Hailey and Ginny. From what his contacts at the Ministry told him, there would be Aurors patrolling the train, and even more Aurors at Hogwarts, with a few stationed at Hogsmeade. These measures were to ease the worries of many parents, but Harry doubted that Aurors would deter Voldemort much. Especially when it was proven after the Diagon Alley incident that a few Dementors could tip the scales against the Aurors. Harry made a mental note to stress the importance of learning the Patronus Charm when he reestablished the Defense against the Dark Arts study group this year. Even if the new teacher would be the best in the world, Harry still would feel more at ease if everyone was prepared. Voldemort would make a play for control sooner rather than later, but Harry's nemesis was keeping his cards close to his chest until the very last moment. Harry suspected that even Voldemort's Inner Circle members didn't know his full plans.

"Harry, Ginny, Hailey!" called the voice of Daphne Greengrass, waving them over towards the compartment, that Daphne and one of Harry's other friends, Theodore Nott were sitting. "We thought you had missed the train for a minute."

"We very nearly did," grumbled Hailey. "The Aurors that were checking us were a bit overzealous."

"Well, Hailey, they're just doing their job," said Harry. "They don't want anyone to smuggle any items into Hogwarts, but of course, there are ways to even get past the most sophisticated of security measures."

Harry, Hailey, and Ginny walked over, before sitting down in the compartment that Daphne and Theodore had saved for them.

"Any news on Hermione," prompted Theodore.

"She's a little better, but Lestrange ravaged her organs with that dark arts spell," declared Harry. "She told me it will take a bit of time before she is well enough to return to Hogwarts."

"Something that I'm sure Hermione isn't too thrilled about, considering that N.E.W.T. level courses begin this year," replied Daphne with a grin. "Speaking of which, what classes are you taking this year Harry?"

"Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Arithmancy, Study of Ancient Runes, and of course, Defense," declared Harry.

"The minimal course load," prompted Theodore. "Still, you do have more pressing matters on your mind. Daphne and I are taking all those classes, in addition to Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures."

"I wanted to take History of Magic," declared Daphne bitterly. "But there wasn't enough interest to have a N.E.W.T. level course."

"There never is," said Theodore. "Not that many fields require that subject and those who do go into those fields take the extra independent study, rather than go through two more years of Binns."

"Still, there has to be some people who wanted to take it," said Daphne.

"Only you, Hermione, and maybe a couple of odd Ravenclaws," declared Theodore which caused Daphne to roll her eyes.

"Did someone mention odd Ravenclaws?" asked the voice of Luna Lovegood, who seemed to have drifted into the compartment on her own accord. "Well, here I am."

"Now, Luna, no one thinks your odd, just highly unique," declared Ginny.

"Anyway, I'm here to talk to Harry about the Defense group," declared Luna.

"Of course Luna, do sit down," replied Harry and Luna nodded, before sitting down right between Hailey and Ginny, joining the compartment.

"Harry, I thought last year went rather well, until of course Umbridge made it quite difficult to meet because she watched anyone who had ever been friendly to you," declared Luna. "I was wondering if you wanted me to help continue the group this year."

"Actually Luna, yes, I was thinking about doing that anyway, regardless of who the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is," replied Harry. "Any help I can get with keeping the Defense against the Dark Arts study group stabilized is much appreciated."

"Speaking of the Defense against the Dark Arts class, I wonder if we're even going to have a class this year," prompted Theodore. "There wasn't even a textbook on the list."

"That's because the class is going to be mostly practical," declared Harry. "And I'm all for it, because honestly, after last year, we had enough theory in that class to last a lifetime."

At that moment, the Hogwarts Express began to slowly come to a stop.

"We can't be at Hogwarts yet," muttered Ginny with a frown, as she looked out the window. "We've barely left the station."

"All I know is last time the train stopped prematurely, Dementors decided to hitch a ride," declared Daphne with a frown which caused Harry to straighten up straight away.

"Wands out everyone!" ordered Harry, before turning to the others. "Scour the train, warning everyone and enlist the help of any older students or Aurors that you can find, protect the younger students."

"What are you going to do, Harry?" asked Ginny.

"I'm going to try and figure out what's going on, I'll inform you all straight away whatever I find out," declared Harry and Ginny, Daphne, Theodore, Luna, and Hailey made their way from the compartment, as Harry had his wand in one hand and his blade in the other hand, as he cautiously maneuvered around, pushing the doorway open, before walking into a seemingly empty compartment. Upon further examination, the compartment held just a normal duffle bag.

At a blink of an eye, a dagger ripped through the bag, before a hand inside the bag threw the weapon at Harry, who managed to deflect the dagger, having been caught off guard.

"Ah, the famous, Mr. Potter," declared a female voice, as she rose from the bag. The woman was apparently a contortionist of some sort. "I've been waiting to test my skills against you."

Harry leapt at the woman, attempting to catch her off guard by ramming both feet into her face, but the woman arched her spine backwards, so she was bent towards the ground. As a result of this action, Harry flew harmlessly over the woman, having to adjust his legs, while landing on his feet. The woman spun around, clashing a sword against Harry's weapon. Harry pushed her backwards before landing on his feet and removing a Kusari-Gama chain from his sleeve, before flinging it towards the woman, wrapping it around her, binding her arms.

"Tricky predicament, but not impossible to get out of," muttered the woman, as she twisted her arm in an awkward position before slicing the chain, causing Harry to fly backwards. Harry was slumped against the wall and the woman sat on the ground, contorting her body into a ball, before rolling forward.

Harry looked up and both feet cracked him right across the face, and Harry flew right into the wall. Reaching into his sleeve as his attacker turned around, Harry removed a shuriken before flinging it at her. The woman twisted her arm between her legs, before catching the shuriken, before spinning around and flinging it back at Harry, who deflected it with his sword. Harry sprung up, before gripping into the ceiling.

"Bombs away!" yelled Harry, before dropping down and attempting to kick the mercenary in the face, but she twisted to the side, causing Harry to miss her by just centimeters.

"And I thought this was going to be a challenge!" taunted the woman, as she aimed her sword right at Harry's torso, but Harry managed to catch the arm of his attacker, before twisting it around. His adversary attempted to aim a blow with her other arm, but Harry caught the arm, before bending both arms roughly.

"Exactly who are you working for!" yelled Harry, wanting to get to the bottom of who was sending these mercenaries after him.

"Sorry, but that would be telling!" taunted Harry's attacker, as she twisted her arms up, before flipping behind Harry, with her arms still in Harry's grip, before kicking him in the back, causing Harry's grip to slip and him to land on the ground but only for a second as Harry quickly sprang up, before throwing a pair of shuriken at his attacker, which the woman quickly deflected, before springing up towards the exit of the compartment.

Harry frowned, before moving in pursuit towards his attacker, but his two way mirror began heating up and Harry removed it.

"Harry, the train's moving again and it appears it might have just been a false alarm," said Ginny.

"No," declared Harry, shaking his head. "Someone's sent a mercenary after me."

"Another one!" exclaimed Ginny, who looked highly alarmed.

"Yes, I need to go, my attacker ran into the next compartment!" muttered Harry, as he raised his wand, before blasting the door open, looking alarmed as he saw what appeared about five or six second and third year students knocked unconscious.

Harry didn't have much time to take in the grin scene, as his attacker slid her feet from underneath a bench, kicking Harry in the legs, knocking him backwards. Spinning around, Harry leapt up, grabbing his attacker by the throat, before flipping her down to the ground.

"What did you do to them?" asked Harry, indicating the second and third year students on the floor.

"They're just knocked unconscious," responded the mercenary as she sprung up, throwing a dagger at Harry, but Harry flicked his wand, causing the dagger to solve into a mass of melted metal in mid air, but the attacker responded by throwing a glass vial on the ground, obscuring the area in smoke, causing Harry's vision to become impaired for a moment.

Harry groped around in the dark, before listening for a hint of his attacker and he found one, as a kick aimed towards the side of his head, barely missed. His attacker landed on her feet, and threw a shuriken at Harry, but Harry managed to deflect it backwards with his weapon. Using his wand to siphon the smoke away, Harry saw his attacker contort her body to slip out of an opened window of the Hogwarts express.

"Not getting away, not this time," declared Harry, who transformed into his Animagus form, a raven, before flying from the window to the outside of the world. He transformed back into a human on top of the train, before looking around.

As he looked down, two fists sprung up, catching Harry right in the face, before his attacker found her way to the top of the train, to engage Harry in battle. Harry avoided her charge by leaping up over her, but the woman twisted, her arm bent backwards, grabbing Harry's wrist, before twisting around. Harry winced, feeling a pop, before the woman flipped him over onto his back. The mercenary stepped back as Harry felt a stabbing pain of a broken wrist, as he got to his feet.

"Five minutes," hissed a voice unheard to everyone except for the mercenary but Harry brought his wand out, before shooting a jet of light from it. The woman wouldn't have been able to contort if she was in a full body bind and sure enough, her arms and legs snapped together, causing her to land on the top of the train with a thud. Her body slid from the side, but Harry used his wand to pull her back, before bringing her up so they were face to face.

"Exactly who are you working for?" demanded Harry, but sweat began to roll down the woman's face, as her body began to glow before an unknown force pulled her into the air. "DAMNIT!"

Harry cursed as his attacker had disappeared into thin air, just like the previous two mercenaries had. Adding insult to injury, the only thing Harry had to show for it was a broken wrist, among getting knocked around. Harry removed his Portus-Amulet, before tapping his wand to it and transporting himself back into his compartment of the train where Ginny, Hailey, Luna, Daphne, and Theodore were waiting, along with a pair of Aurors.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," declared one of the Aurors with a nod. "We were wondering how much you know about how exactly the train stopped."

"I know about as much as you know," replied Harry calmly. "I know why the trained stopped, some Muggle mercenary attempted to off me for about the third time this summer."

"The same mercenary all three times," prompted the second Auror, frowning.

"No different ones, all disappearing before I could gain any information," replied Harry. "Even though I immobilized this one with a full body bind, she vanished before I could demand information."

"Very well," declared the first Auror with a frown. "Anything else?"

"A half a dozen second and third year students have been knocked unconscious by the mercenary, so it might be a good idea to check on them along with checking to see if any other students have been injured in the crossfire," explained Harry.

The Aurors nodded, before walking off into the train.

"Another year at Hogwarts," sighed Harry, shaking his head, before turning to Daphne, Theodore, and Luna. "So, how were your summers?"


	13. Chapter 13: Another Year at Hogwarts

**Chapter 13: Another Year at Hogwarts:**

After a rather eventless journey to Hogwarts, the Hogwarts Express stopped, allowing students to exit from the train.

"Harry, you notice something," muttered Ginny, as they had been split up from the others due to Aurors ensuring that no one was smuggling any dangerous items

"That there are fewer students than normal exiting the platform," replied Harry calmly, as Ginny nodded. "Yes, I know, people aren't as secure with Hogwarts as they have been previously, after what was rumored to have happened last year under Umbridge, even through the Ministry managed to stick most of that under the rug from the general public, exactly how bad it was for everyone who wasn't a member of the Inquisitorial Squad. However, that doesn't stop the students from mentioning what happened last year from their parents and some parents might be alarmed enough to pull their students out of Hogwarts."

Harry took a deep breath.

"Combining that with the fact Voldemort is back, there are quite a few people who might have taken their children out of the country, especially those who have lost family last time," declared Harry before shuddering slightly. "It's also possible that the Death Eaters could have quietly gotten to them. There were times during Voldemort's last reign where people went missing and didn't turn up dead for weeks or even months after they were proclaimed missing."

"The others shouldn't be far from here," muttered Ginny, craning her neck upwards, looking for Daphne, Theodore, Hailey, and Luna, before Harry tapped Ginny on the shoulder, pointing them out. The two teenagers moved over to join their friends, squeezing into a carriage that took them from Hogsmeade, to the gates of Hogwarts.

"There seems to be a lot less people here than normal," remarked Luna casually breaking the silence.

"Yes, I got a good look, maybe about twenty five or thirty percent less," replied Daphne. "In a school with as many students as Hogwarts, it is rather noticeable."

"People are paranoid, about Voldemort and many of them have lost faith in the Ministry," said Harry.

"Well, many of the pureblood and some half blood students may have been sent abroad," said Theodore. "Muggleborns are unaware that there are other options, but I can see that some of them won't want to return after the Inquisitorial Squad last year. And they might just return to the Muggle World, they only have to attend the first year, to help them control their magical."

"Yeah, there are few things more dangerous than someone who has magic, but is unable to control it," declared Daphne darkly, as the carriages stopped, allowing the students to exit, making their way towards the school, with Aurors stopping students at random every so often to check to ensure they weren't smuggling anything questionable into the school that might have been missed on the first inspection at Hogsmeade station. It took quite some time for everyone to be ushered into Hogwarts, due to these security measures.

Daphne, Theodore, Harry, and Ginny made their way towards the Slytherin table, with Luna moving towards the Ravenclaw table and Hailey making her way towards the Hufflepuff table. Just seconds after they had sat down, Professor McGonagall led the first year students inside the Great Hall, with several of them looking confused and a bit apprehensive.

"How much you want to bet that the muggleborns haven't been informed of Voldemort?" muttered Ginny in a low voice.

"No bet, I'm almost certain of it," declared Daphne, shaking her head. "Talk about being thrown into the deep end without swimming lessons."

"Something like that's kind of hard to bring up, I don't envy the Ministry right about now as is, but imagine trying to explain all what's going on to the parents of muggleborns or even the incoming students themselves," said Harry.

"Yeah you're son or daughter's magical and oh by the way, there is a homicidal maniac who is bound to kill anyone who disagrees with him, but still, this is an opportunity to get thrown headfirst " declared Daphne in a high pitched sarcastic voice. "Oh, do enjoy your time at Hogwarts, by the way, kid."

"Grim, but true, which is why this particular facet is not explained," replied Theodore.

"Mum says certain things weren't spelled out too clearly for muggleborns when she went to Hogwarts but then again, Voldemort was just gaining steam in his campaign and the Ministry didn't really regard him as much more than a rumor after her first year, going closely to her second" added Harry. "Even after Voldemort made a few public attacks, the Ministry didn't want to acknowledge what was staring in front of their faces."

"History, doomed to repeat itself, good thing Lucius spilled the beans last year, or…" declared Daphne, but she was cut off by McGonagall announcing the name of the first students, just after the sorting hat had wrapped up its song.

The students were sorted, with Harry noticing that the number of new students were less. It seemed that a few had elected to have their children either be schooled at home or abroad. When the last student was sorted, much earlier than usual, Dumbledore rose to his feet, as the Great Hall went silent, anticipating the annual speech from the Headmaster.

"Good evening students of Hogwarts," declared Dumbledore. "New students, welcome and I hope your time at this school will be enlightening. To our old students, welcome back and we have a wonderful feast awaiting us, but first an announcement. The dueling club last active four years ago has been reinstated at the request of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Anyone wishing to sign up for the club should do so by the end of this week, as regular meetings will be held. Other announcements can wait until later. Until then, let's eat."

"Where is the new Defense teacher, anyway?" asked Ginny, as she piled food onto her plate.

"Search me," muttered Harry. "All I know is I leaned very heavily on the Ministry of Magic to put pressure on Dumbledore and the Board of Governors to make sure there is a competent teacher."

"I really hope they listened to you Harry," said Daphne and Theodore nodded in agreement, but his father's ultimatum weighed heavily on his mind. He had made his choice, but actually going through it would require a lot of skills. He didn't want to burden his friends, especially Harry whose life seemed to get more hectic and perilous with each passing second.

"Harry, look," hissed Ginny, under her breath, grabbing her boyfriend by the shoulder to get his attention and Harry turned around, with Daphne and Theodore joining them, seeing Lily Potter arrive at the Great Hall, unnoticed by most of the Great Hall.

"Hmm, I wonder what Mum's doing here," declared Harry, before trailing off, realizing. "You don't suppose…"

"It's possible, considering she did know about how the class would structured this year," muttered Ginny.

"Of course, I don't know why she didn't want to tell us, but maybe she wanted it to be a surprise," declared Harry calmly.

"So, the mystery of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is solved," declared Daphne. "Actually how knowledgeable is your mum in the subject anyway, Harry?"

Harry looked up, before casting a few mild privacy charms, allowing himself, Daphne, Theodore, and Ginny to talk without worrying about anyone overhearing them.

"She received an "O" on her Defense N.E.W.T, managing to deal with a couple of teachers that were more incompetent than the worst we had, not to mention all the outside studying she did as an Unspeakable, most of which had to do with different aspects of the dark arts and how to defend against them," answered Harry.

"So she might be the best teacher we've had since Professor Lupin," stated Theodore.

"Different areas of expertise, really," replied Harry. "Remus is quite versed in the area of dark creatures, but that's not to discount that he is quite knowledgeable in the area of curses. Mum might know as much about the subject of dark arts Voldemort or even Snape, but I've learned at least as much from her as I have from the Slytherin library. Plus, I know enough from Sirius and Remus to know that I got my dueling abilities from Mum. Dad was good yes, but he tended to dive headfirst into situations without thinking logically. A problem in dueling, as the actual magic is less than ten percent of the battle"

"She knows what she's doing," added Ginny, who looked excited.

"Well, I'm all for that," said Theodore. "After the complete and utter diabolic last year's teacher was, we need someone who can undo the damage she's done to us. While the study group helped, not everyone was in it."

Harry busied himself with his food, at least with his mother as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he wouldn't have to sneak around with the Defense Study group. Indeed, Harry could match up what they were doing in the group to what was being taught in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, to make for a more solid understanding of the material for those who Harry trusted.

The feast finished and then desserts were consumed for the next twenty minutes, until the plates vanished, allowing Dumbledore to rise to his feet, to begin his yearly speech.

"Excellent, now that we have all eaten, I have a few more important announcements to make," declared Dumbledore, looking around at the students of Hogwarts with a twinkle in his eye. "Now, I should remind the younger students that trips to the Forbidden Forest are strictly forbidden. A fact that some of our older students may be reminded of as well."

Dumbledore's eyes flickered over the Great Hall.

"Now, also, after a brief hiatus last year, it is my pleasure to announce that House Quidditch Cup will return this year," continued Dumbledore, an announcement that pleased many people. "Tryouts will be held within the next week. Please see either Madam Hooch or the respective captains for each of your house teams for further information."

Dumbledore adjusted his spectacles for dramatic effect, before his eyes locked onto the Hogwarts students.

"And now, we have one new staff appointment to announce," declared Dumbledore in a cheerful tone of voice, too cheerful in Harry's opinion as it seemed extremely forced. "As with many years past, a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must have been found, to fill the void left by the untimely department of the late Dolores Umbridge."

Harry could have sworn he heard a handful of cheers at the reminder that Umbridge was in fact deceased, that was hastily disguised into coughs, but there were also several bright looks that quickly were disguised by people bowing their heads in mock sorrow of the woman who terrorized the school at the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, High Inquisitor, and then finally Headmistress.

"Yes, well, Professor Umbridge will be missed," declared Dumbledore in a serious voice, although a slight twinkle appeared in the Headmaster's eye for a fraction of a second. "Of course, I am pleased to announce that the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher this year is Professor Lily Potter!"

Loud cheers erupted from the Great Hall, as Lily just sat at the High Table with a calm look on her face, nodding her head briefly at acknowledgement.

"It could not be plainer to me that Dumbledore's hand was forced," whispered Daphne, applauding along with the others.

"Yes that look on his face as he was making the announcement, it was only there for about a second but still," answered Theodore. "At least we'll have a competent teacher this year, if what Harry and Ginny say is true."

"I assure you it is," replied Harry. "Trust me; you know how serious I take my Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"We know," said Daphne. "Hatred for Umbridge and Lockhart, the two worst teachers in the history of humanity, prove that."

At that point, everyone began to get to their feet, to head off towards their respective Common Rooms, with many talking in hushed tones, no doubt exchanging rumors of the recent reign of attacks underneath Voldemort. Harry tried not to pay them any attention; the truth was damning enough without hearing any unconfirmed information. Still he could understand the worries of many of the students of Hogwarts, as they did have relatives that worked in the Ministry and recently, a couple of high ranking Wizengamot members had vanished from their homes. When doing in depth research, Harry had discovered that these two gentlemen did not agree with the ideals that Voldemort and his Death Eaters, thus the worst was inevitable.

Still Harry was proud to say that his resistance group had managed to stop two Death Eater attacks on small Muggle villages, with minimal causalities. While Harry hadn't been present for these efforts, several Death Eaters were sent to the Ministry, mostly new recruits. Unfortunately, some of Voldemort's most experienced and dangerous Death Eaters remained at large, Death Eaters that should be killed on sight, no questions asked. An uphill battle, but if even a few members of Voldemort's inner circle were taken out of the equation, it might force Voldemort's hand and given Harry a clearer idea of what he was up to.

The following morning at Breakfast, schedules were passed out.

"The horror, the utter agony of it all!" cried Hailey as she made her way over to the Slytherin house table, clutching her schedule in trembling hands. "Snape first thing in the morning, the world is coming to the end!"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, we've got N.E.W.T. level Potions in the afternoon," remarked Harry calmly. "Off all morning, not bad, I have a few things I need to do anyway."

"Defense first thing for me," muttered Ginny, as she looked at her schedule.

"Damn, we don't have that class until Friday," said Daphne, thumbing through her schedule. "Last class of the week

"Don't have that class until Wednesday myself," said Hailey, as she consulted her schedule. "I must admit I was surprised to see Mum as the teacher at first, but it does make sense."

"Still, aren't you worried at all about the curse that has been effecting Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers effecting your mother?" asked Theodore calmly, directing his question to Harry and Hailey.

"No, as I keep saying, that curse is nothing superstition," remarked Lily, who had just came up behind the Slytherin table. "Harry, I want a word with you and Ginny about a certain Defense Against the Dark Arts group that you ran under Umbridge's nose last year."

Harry and Ginny nodded, before following Lily from the Slytherin house table but Lily turned to address Hailey.

"Hailey, I really hope you don't do anything to antagonize Professor Snape this year," declared Lily. "You got close to breaking your father's record of most detentions in a year last year, between Professor Snape and Umbridge and you weren't even there for the entire year."

"Really, I came close to breaking Dad's record!" exclaimed Hailey with glee. "Wicked, something to strive for. Maybe if I blow up the dungeon…"

"Hailey Rosaline Potter, you will not antagonize your Potions professor!" admonished Lily. "If I even hear of you acting up, I'll forbid you from playing Quidditch this year."

"Yes, Mum," replied Hailey in a flat, emotionless tone of voice, as she watched Harry, Ginny, and her mother walk off.

Harry, Ginny, and Lily made their way up towards Lily's office. Most of everyone was still eating breakfast, so the corridors were quite deserted and allowed for easy navigation towards their destination.

Lily reached her office, the door was covered with seven different locks. She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one but Harry and Ginny was with her, before unlocking the locks one by one, before the door dissolved to reveal a statue of a dragon.

"You have thirty seconds to say the password," declared the dragon statue, as its eyes glowed green.

"United," muttered Lily to the statue.

"Correct," growled the statue as a doorway magically appeared. Lily motioned for Harry and Ginny to move through the doorway into her office, with Lily following once they got through. The entrance sealed itself shut behind them. Lily motioned for them to remain silent while she put silencing charms on her door, the walls, and the fireplace.

"Okay, it's safe to speak now," said Lily.

"Dare I ask what happens if someone doesn't guess the password correctly," said Harry breaking the silence.

"They get knocked unconscious," replied Lily. "Harmless, but a bit more powerful than your average stunner. The locks were really more for show, as I used a simple destabilizing charm to put down that particular barrier."

"Most would pull their hair out attempting to figure out what combination of locks to open," said Ginny nodding her head. "It's only for when you're not in the office."

"Of course, can't take any chances that someone might try to fulfill this alleged curse and try to murder me," replied Lily with a shudder. "I deactivate the defenses when I'm in the office, just in case a student wants to ask any questions."

Lily sat down behind her desk as Harry and Ginny took seats across from her.

"Now, looking over the exam scores, especially the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T scores and cross checking them with the list of names in your Defense group, it is obvious that this group was very beneficial to those who participated in it," said Lily. "The practical portion more so, as those who relied on Umbridge's shoddy teaching didn't do so well."

"So, you think it would be a good idea to resume the group this year, Mum?" prompted Harry.

"Well, yes in a way, but I had another idea," declared Lily. "Considering how successful the group was, I'm going to give both of you the chance to be appointed assistant Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers."

Harry nearly did a double take, that wasn't what he expected and Ginny had a similar surprised look on her face.

"Now, I know you have classes during the day that are going to take up a lot of your time and energy, so I was thinking of having you teach supplementary classes in the evening for those who want to take them," added Lily. "Maybe a class for the first through fourth years, the fifth years, and then the sixth and seven year students, maybe once a week for each class."

"Does Dumbledore know about this?" asked Harry, voicing one of his fears.

"The dueling club that he announced I was reinstated is a cover for this," declared Lily. "I suspect most if not all who sign up for the dueling club would be the type that would have signed up for the Defense group anyway and if the magical contracts are used, we should be able to ferret out any disrupters."

"Speaking of ferrets, you never did tell me how your hearing with Malfoy went," said Ginny suddenly.

"Actually, I'm curious to hear this myself, I saw him here, so I assumed he got his status as student reinstated," replied Lily.

"Well basically, he got back in, but if Draco steps one foot out of line, I'm expelled and Dumbledore's no longer the Headmaster," remarked Harry, causing horrified expressions to appear on the faces of both his mother and girlfriend. "To be fair, I was backed into a corner, but I do see a way out."

Harry paused for dramatic effect.

"I don't know about Ginny, but I think I'll take you up on your offer to become an assistant Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," replied Harry. "So, technically I'm not a student, hence the terms of the deal are not quite valid."

"I accept, too, Harry has enough on his plate and needs all the help he can get," declared Ginny.

"Very well then, you are both excused, I need to prepare for my first class at any rate," replied Lily.

Later that morning on the way to Potions, Daphne, Theodore, and Harry were in conversation.

"That's interesting, assistant Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," remarked Daphne.

"These extra classes are a good idea, with Voldemort and all but I can't say I'm disappointed that the dueling club is a front for what you're doing," said Theodore. "I understand the necessity…"

"If I can get everyone trained properly, there will be dueling in my classes," replied Harry as they stepped inside the Potions classroom. "Especially in the sixth and seventh year level, as I suspect most everyone in those years would have been in the study group last year."

Daphne, Theodore, and Harry made their way to a table towards the back of the Potions classroom. Other than those three, only four students were in sixth year Potions class. Moments later, the brooding form of Severus Snape appeared in the classroom, robes billowing behind him, before turning to address the students.

"Good afternoon and welcome to sixth year Potions class," declared Snape smoothly. "The honor to take this course was achieved through receiving an Outstanding on your Ordinary Wizarding Level Examination, so rest assure you earned your right to be here on this day."

Snape looked out, taking in the attentive looks of his students, before proceeding to speak once again.

"Of course, earning the right to enter the class is one thing compared to earning the right to remain in this class," declared Snape. "To remain in this class, you must work hard to ensure that your grades remain at the high level that I expect from my N.E.W.T. level students. If I feel you are not performing up to that standard, you will depart from my classroom, never to return."

Snape looked out at the class, as if daring anyone to contradict what he said, but most wisely, not one person said a word.

"Now today, you are to begin brewing Veritaserum," declared Snape. "Can anyone tell me what this potion does?"

Snape looked out, as everyone raised their hand. His eyes locked on Harry, before nodding.

"Mr. Potter, if you will," prompted Snape.

"Veritaserum is the most powerful truth potion in existence," declared Harry. "Only a few drops will cause even the most hardened of individuals to spill out their innermost secrets."

"Correct, Mr. Potter, take five points for Slytherin," replied Snape. "Now, as with any potion, it does have some drawbacks. Can any of you see one glaring one?"

Snape looked out, before nodding towards Padma Patil.

"Miss Patil, do tell what you think is a major drawback in the use of Veritaserum," prompted Snape.

"If the person under the influence of Veritaserum believes something to be true that is contradictory to the truth, they will only state what they believe is true, Professor," declared Padma.

"Exactly," declared Snape. "This potion is also heavily restricted by the Ministry, I am one of the only four licensed Potion Masters in Great Britain authorized to produce or teaching production of Veritaserum. This potion has to be brewed to exact specifications and even when brewed correctly, it could have dangerous, perhaps fatal, medical side effects."

Snape flicked his wand towards the blackboard, causing instructions to manifest.

"Veritaserum requires an entire moon cycle to mature, so this shall be your project over the next month," declared Snape. "These instructions must be accomplished by the end of this period for perfect results. Once again, if you are off even by seconds or add even a quantity that is slightly incorrect, the entire potion is ruined. I suggest you spread out, to avoid distractions. I will also add this potion may very well be more difficult than anything you have brewed over the past five years. All that you need will be located in the store cupboard. Begin."

Snape wasn't exaggerating at the slightest at the difficult of the potion. Over the next hour, Harry consulted the instructions, slicing the ingredients at the precise angles indicated by the instructions, while double checking measurements to ensure that the potion was not botched in anyway. One thing was for certain, the instructions were among the most detailed that Harry had even dealt with and that included some of the more advanced potions that he had read up upon in the Slytherin library. Once Harry completed the last instruction, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You should be in the process of completing or have completed your potion," said Snape, cutting through the silence like a knife. "If you have completed your brew correctly, without any mistakes, after the first stage of brewing, your Veritaserum should be grey. Bring your cauldrons over to the shelf towards the front of the classroom, where they will be kept until your next lesson."

Everyone proceeded to do just as Snape had ordered, careful not to do anything that might disrupt their potion in any manner whatsoever. Snape excused the students in the N.E.W.T. level potions class, allowing them to precede to either their next class or to a break, whatever the case had been.

The following day, at Breakfast, Harry, Daphne, Theodore, and Ginny were having Breakfast, when Daphne's copy of the Daily Prophet arrived. She took it from the owl, before reading it, her expression becoming rather grave.

"What is it, Daphne?" asked Theodore.

"The Muggle Prime Minister was severely injured in an attack last night," declared Daphne, as she read from the paper. "His speech writer was put under the Imperius Curse and she attacked him, stabbing him several times. Thankfully, there was an Auror working undercover, or it would have been a lot worse."

"If the Ministry has people undercover, do you think Voldemort might have contacts working inside the Muggle government?" asked Theodore.

"I don't doubt it," declared Harry darkly.

"I don't get what Voldemort has to gain for attacking the Muggle Prime Minister," declared Daphne.

"Fear," said Ginny calmly. "He's sending a message that no one is safe, magical or Muggle."

"Ginny's right, with those Wizengamot members going missing and now this attack, Voldemort's just playing a very elaborate game with the world at large, while preparing to enact the next stage of his plan," declared Harry, bitterly remembering that Voldemort's plans were something that remained pretty much a mystery to him.

At that moment, a sealed envelope was tossed right in front of Harry. Harry quickly pocketed the envelope, before motioning for the others to slowly follow him from the Great Hall, as to not attract any unwanted attention. Making their way upstairs, towards an unused classroom, Harry, Ginny, Daphne, and Theodore made their way inside. Harry put up silencing and locking charms, before using his wand to check the envelope for any jinxes. When it passed, Harry slit it open, before allowing the piece of parchment. The message was short and to the point.

_Attack lead by Rabastan Lestrange, concentrated towards Great Hangleton at the K. Riddle Memorial Hotel, Friday Night, 11:30 pm. _

Harry quickly lit the parchment on fire, destroying the evidence.

"It's from Draco Malfoy, at least he's keeping up his end of the bargain," muttered Ginny

"This K. Riddle, he couldn't be a relative of…" started Ginny.

"It's a high possibility, Voldemort's own attitude states that he feels loathing to anything connected to his Muggle father," declared Harry. "It is a constant reminder that he is not in fact a pureblood. This loathing is a minor weakness, one that can be exploited, especially if one of his senior Death Eaters can be brought down"

"Can we trust this information as being accurate?" asked Daphne. "Or could it be a setup?"

"It could be, but would Malfoy blow his cover this soon?" prompted Theodore.

"No," replied Harry promptly. "Malfoy wants to gain my trust or more accurately, Voldemort wants Malfoy to gain my trust but maybe, just maybe I'm not the one that's being setup."

"Harry, what are you saying?" asked Ginny curiously.

"Never mind, just thinking out loud," said Harry quickly before consulting his watch. "Nearly time for classes anyway, let's go."

Without another word, Harry undid the locking and silencing charms, before proceeding to Transfiguration Class along with Daphne and Theodore, while Ginny made her way to Herbology.

Transfiguration began the official study of silent spell casting, something that Harry and his friends had been working on for a couple of years.

"Even the simplest of Transfiguration can be difficult to accomplish silently without the proper concentration," lectured Professor McGonagall. "It is crucial for your mind not to wander, to successfully complete the assigned tasks. Otherwise, you will not be doing yourself any justice, with the transfigured items being either incomplete or a complete failure."

With that, McGonagall assigned them several different pieces of Transfiguration, to do silently. Harry found the work to be rather difficult, but doable with the proper concentration. By the end of the period, Harry was one of the few to complete all the assigned pieces of work, earning himself ten points to Slytherin from Professor McGonagall. After the class, the homework was to practice, in preparation for the next class, as the work was to only get more difficult.

After a break, Arithmancy was the next class for Harry. The work became more advanced, but Harry didn't find it as challenging as many of his fellow classmates did. Granted, it was not easy by any means, but it didn't cause Harry a large amount of headaches.

Wednesday had more work with silent spell casting, in the form of Charms. Professor Flitwick reviewed many of the charms they learned over the past few years, before allowing time to begin to practice them silently. Even through Harry, Daphne, and Theodore had already mastered some of the spells in independent study, it was still an excellent application to keep their skills sharp.

Ancient Runes followed on Thursday, nothing exceptional, mostly review in preparation for the more complex work that would be done over the year. Harry felt that the class went rather well, but it was only a setup for more complex work to come.

Friday afternoon was the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the sixth year students. Despite Umbridge's best efforts and thanks to Harry's best efforts, not to mention the hard work of everyone in the Defense Study group, there were many more students in Defense then the other classes Harry had. There were at least seventy percent of the sixth year students that remained after several had been pulled out of Hogwarts.

Lily entered the classroom, deep in thought. The previous day she had taught the seventh year students, which proved to be a rather frustrating class. It was the last group of an older generation of Hogwarts students, few that were in the Defense study group and with a few notable exceptions, who saw the world as Slytherin being evil without a question and everyone else being good without a question, along with many of the other outdated beliefs caused by the magical world. The younger students especially the third and fifth years were rather enlightened and seemed more apt to embrace new ways to look out magic.

"Good afternoon and welcome to the sixth year N.E.W.T level Defense Against the Dark Arts class," started Lily. "This class will be rather different from what you're used to, as the homework I assign is purely optional, although it would be in your benefit to do so, as it would allow you to properly understand the material for this class."

Lily stepped backwards, taking roll. When she finished, she turned to address the class.

"Now, before we can even begin defense, we need to understand what exactly are the dark arts?" asked Lily, as several people raised their hands, before she nodded towards the direction of Neville Longbottom. "Yes, Neville."

"Well, they're spells that can cause permanent damage to someone," replied Neville a bit nervously at first, but gaining confidence.

"A good answer, five points to Gryffindor," declared Lily. "Yes, the dark arts can cause permanent damage to someone, many of the effects that cannot be reversed, even with the most advanced magic. Now, that is not to say using the dark arts make one automatically evil."

Susan Bones raised her hand and Lily turned towards her direction.

"Yes, Susan, would you like to share something?" asked Lily.

"Well, weren't many of the spells that are considered dark developed for other purposes than harming someone," said Susan slowly. "It's just the abuse that makes them dark."

"Exactly, five points to Hufflepuff," replied Lily. For instance, the Cruciatias Curse was developed to jumpstart the hearts of people whose hearts have stopped, a process that had saved a few lives. Now it is not used, because it has been twisted into a tool of torture by a few sick minds, when they discovered that when used on a perfectly healthy person, the Cruciatias Curse can cause pain. As I pointed out to my seventh year students, magic isn't evil. Some people however are and they have turned magical advances created to help, into tools meant to harm."

Lily turned towards the class, with a thoughtful look.

"However, one could also theorize that certain spells could also be used in ways not imagined to defend from these spells that have been branded dark," declared Lily. "Especially once in the midst of a duel, unexpected spells can catch a dangerous adversary off guard and be the difference between life and death. A simple tickling charm can catch an enemy off guard long enough, to construct a more through attack. Now there are many more examples that we can discuss today."

The rest of the class went by in no time, with many people offering suggestions on how simple spells could be adapted for dueling purposes. Many of them Harry had thought of previously, but there were a few new ideas that made sense that Harry had not previously thought of. Granted, there were some ideas still that Harry had thought of that were not brought up, but he decided to keep them to himself for the time being.

"For your optional homework, read up on both Dementors and Inferi, as they will be covered soon and next class, we will begin applying some of the more commonly used dueling spells," declared Lily. "And also, I know all of you participated in a Defense Against the Dark Arts group last year that went against Ministry policty."

A few people looked nervous, but Lily waved off their concerns.

"Actually, even through I shouldn't say this as I'm your teacher, I would have done everything I could to undermine that old toad as well," replied Lily causing a few people to laugh. "It was an excellent idea, as it will be continued in the form of a supplementary Defense Against the Dark Arts class that will be held in the evening, at nine o'clock PM. Sign up is available on the respective bulletin boards in your Common Rooms, only visible to those who are taking the main Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Signing up his highly recommended, as it will give practical experience that may allow you better understanding of the magic learned. The first class will take place one week from tomorrow. Class dismissed."

Everyone left the class, talking excitedly. Harry didn't pay too much attention to anyone; he had work to do this evening.

Outside of the K. Riddle Memorial Hotel, Rabastan Lestrange quietly led a group of eight Death Eaters around to the front entrance. The Dark Lord had given them rather explicit instructions to murder all of the guests inside, before burning the place right to the ground, leaving it destroyed beyond repair. Rabastan couldn't being to guess why the Dark Lord would attack a simple Muggle hotel with a vengeance, but he saw it as a perfect opportunity to move up the ranks of the Dark Lord's regime, gaining favor and perhaps eventually leapfrogging Bellatrix and Snape as the Dark Lord's most valued servant.

"Break the glass," declared Rabastan in a harsh voice, as the other Death Eaters used their wands to blast the glass before walking up to the front lobby, where the front desk clerk laid with his head down on the desk, long hair obscuring his face. Rabastan's face cracked into a sinister smile, before pointing it towards the sleeping clerk. "Avada Kedavra!"

The killing curse sped towards the clerk, who sprang off his chair, doing a roll, allowing the spell to blast the desk into dust.

"Good evening, gentlemen," declared the desk clerk brushing his hair out of his face, to reveal that he wasn't a clerk after all but rather Harry Potter. "Right on time too, good job!"

"Potter!" grunted Rabastan. "You've stepped into the serpent's den you little brat. There are nine of us and only one of you but I suppose I can't expect a filthy little half blood to be able to count."

Harry just calmly snapped his fingers causing a set of tapestries to fly back, revealing several members of his resistance group, sending stunners right towards the Death Eaters, who were caught off guard. As Harry aimed a spell towards Rabastan Lestrange, another Death Eater who had not been knocked out in the volley of spells engaged Harry in battle, but Harry quickly shot a gust of wind from his wand, knocking the Death Eater backwards, before shooting metallic cords from his wand, wrapping the Death Eater around the stone pillar, causing him to squirm but Rabastan had blasted open a door and ran up the stairs as fast as his feet could carry him.

"Destroy any Portkeys, let me know if you recognize any of them once you unmask them, I'm going to have a few words with Rabastan Lestrange," ordered Harry, before he propelled himself up the stairs, as fast as he could after Rabastan.

Rabastan cursed, as his Portkey had not worked. The brat must have had his allies put an anti-Portkey ward on the building, preventing his escape. Exactly how he could have learned of these plans was the million galleon question. The Death Eater blasted through a door, entering a room, but he was quickly followed by Harry Potter.

"CRUCIO!" yelled Rabastan angrily; the spell hit Harry, causing him to appear burst into smoke causing Rabastan much anger. "Bloody trickery, fight like a man Potter!"

"So says the man who throws Unforgivable curses," replied a calm voice, as Harry stood in the shadows, causing Rabastan to send a cutting curse but another hologram projection. The door burst open and another figure appeared, once again looking very much like Harry Potter "Thanks for playing along, because the time you spent fighting me could have been time you might have had to escape."

"I ain't stupid enough to fall for the same trick three times Potter!" declared Rabastan, but a cutting curse flew towards him. The eyes of the Death Eater went wide, as he barely had time to duck, but he found himself levitating into the air. His wand and Portkey dropped to the ground, as the glass window pane removed from behind him, before he was pushed towards the window, dangling above the parking lot. The fact that he was hundreds of feet up without a wand to cushion the fall came to Rabastan slowly.

"Now, Rabastan, you tell me what I want to know and you won't become a grease spot on the parking lot," declared Harry.

"Screw you!" grunted Rabastan.

"Have it your way," replied Harry as he waved his wand, causing Rabastan to feel a sudden jolt as if he was about to plummet towards the ground.

"No, Potter please don't kill me!" begged Rabastan as he felt sick to his stomach.

"That would be quite the nasty spill, wouldn't it?" asked Harry rhetorically. "But, I'm sure you helped your sister-in-law and brother do more sickening things than ridding the world of a killer."

"Okay, Potter, you win, what do you want to know?" asked Rabastan as Harry raised him up higher before causing him to jolt down a few feet, which caused him to panic. "Please, Potter, have mercy."

"I wonder if that's what the mother of the children who you helped murder in front of her said to you," declared Harry calmly. "But, I suppose I can cut you some slack if you play by my rules and if you even think about trying to press your little dark mark to call for help, I cancel the spell and you'11 meet pavement. Do you feel lucky?"

Rabastan shot Harry a dirty look but shook his head.

"Excellent, now tell me exactly where Bellatrix is!" demanded Harry quickly.

"Do I look like her keeper?" asked Rabastan. "I have no idea where my psychotic bitch of a sister-in-law is."

"Okay, bye thanks for playing," replied Harry as he pulled back, moving as if to cancel the spell, but Rabastan quickly backtracked.

"The Dark Lord may kill me for revealing for this, but…" declared Rabastan. "Bellatrix is working on a top secret mission for the Dark Lord, that only they know about, no one else in the Inner Circle even has an idea of what she's up to. The Dark Lord's the only one who has seen her since the Diagon Alley incident and I swear I don't know any more than that."

"Very well, would you like to tell me any other plans Voldemort might have up his sleeve?" asked Harry.

"No, the Dark Lord doesn't inform us until the last second, only Lucius knew about the Hogwarts assault up until it happened," replied Rabastan quickly. "I can tell you where you can find Peter Pettigrew!"

"Tell me, now," declared Harry his interest piqued. If Rabastan was telling the truth, Sirius's name would finally be cleared and he could finally go out in the open, instead of hiding out in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.

"Some place called Spinner's End, I don't know where that is but that's where you can find Pettigrew," replied Rabastan. "Now, Potter, I've told you everything that I know, now let me up."

"No," replied Harry curtly.

"But, we had a deal!" yelled Rabastan.

"And you believed me, some Slytherin you are," replied Harry, shaking his head in mock sorrow. "Then again, I can expect no less from people who follow a half blood megalomaniac who occasionally refers to himself in the third person. The fact that you expect mercy after all the people you had a hand in killing and all the people whose lives you helped destroyed disgusts me, Lestrange."

"This isn't fair!" yelled Rabastan.

"Life isn't fair, Lestrange," replied Harry calmly. "Life's a bitch and then you'll die so have a pleasant afterlife."

Rabastan screamed in horror as Harry severed the spell, causing Rabastan to plummet three hundred feet straight down to the parking lot, snapping his neck on impact. One of Voldemort's most sadistic Death Eaters was dead.

Harry looked down, feeling that least tonight hadn't been a total loss. Rabastan had told him the location of Peter Pettigrew or rather where he believed Peter was. If there was any truth to what the Death Eater said, then Harry would finally have the key to clearing Sirius's name.

At that moment, the door opened to reveal two of the members of Harry's resistance force who served as double agents as Ministry Aurors, Nymphadora Tonks and Ryan Lancaster.

"Harry, we could only ID one Death Eater," declared Ryan. "A man by the name of Rory Wilkes."

"His older brother was a Death Eater, but he was killed by Aurors before he could be brought to justice," explained Tonks. "Rory Wilkes was tried as a Death Eater, but he managed to get off on the ever so popular Imperius Defense but he was caught with the dark mark on his forearm."

"And tested for signs of the Imperius, so there is no way he could be wormed out of this one," added Ryan. "Not that he could anyway, Scrimgeour is really cracking down on captured Death Eaters who previously claimed Imperius and with Madam Bones backing him, there doesn't seem to be any opposition. Anyway, the Death Eaters are being taken to the Ministry"

"Excellent," replied Harry, nodding. "I found out something interesting from Rabastan before he had a little falling out."

"What, really?" asked Tonks curiously.

"I know where Peter Pettigrew is," remarked Harry calmly. "Well, the general area, he's in some place called Spinner's End, so do a scan of possible locations of the area and report back to me with the usual manner. I wish to deal with the traitor personally"

"Okay, Harry, anything else," said Tonks.

"Oh, Rabastan had a horrible accident when fleeing from Harry Potter, who used power, magic, the likes of which that have never been seen," added Harry. "It might be a good idea to find a way to spread those rumors through the Ministry in a way that they might get back to Voldemort, along with the fact that there is a strong possibility that I might finish the Lestrange trifecta by tracking down Bellatrix and finish her once and for all."

"Are you really sure this is such a good idea, Harry?" asked Ryan.

"Yeah, Voldemort might get enraged and want to kill…oh yeah right, I forgot who I'm talking to," said Tonks with a bit of a sheepish grin.

"Time to throw Voldemort's own psychological warfare back in his face and see how he likes a dose of his own medicine," declared Harry before adding. "Oh and you might want to remove Rabastan's body from the parking lot, wouldn't want to freak out any Muggles."

Tonks and Ryan made their way to the window, looking down at the corpse of Rabastan Lestrange, who nearly had his head knocked cleanly off from the impact, with his face looking rather managed along with his arms and legs bent at angles that limbs were never meant to bent.

"Freak Muggles about, this freaks me out and I'm a hardened Auror," declared Tonks.

"Hardened, you've only been a fully qualified Auror for two years," said Ryan, shaking his head. "Honestly, Nymphadora, don't be so dramatic."

"First we dispose of this body, and then I find a way to dispose of yours for calling me by that wretched name," muttered Tonks through gritted teeth.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry arrived at the Slytherin Common Room, close to midnight. When he walked in, he saw Ginny sitting on the couch by the fire, work spread across the table, looking tired and irritable, as she scratched her quill on parchment. She brightened up slightly when she saw Harry across the room, as she scratched a few more words on the parchment, before putting a preservation charm on the parchment so her work could not get smudged or destroyed.

"Harry, perfect timing, just finished with my Potions essay, which means I'm done for the weekend," said Ginny with a tired smile as Harry sat down beside her. "Took me four bloody hours for three essays but I got everything done.."

"Why didn't you use the Room of Requirement, after all time can be slowed in that room?" asked Harry with a frown.

"I tried, but someone else must have been inside, because it didn't open," declared Ginny, as she laid her head down on Harry's shoulder before yawning.

"Hmm, very interesting," said Harry in a thoughtful voice, but decided to dismiss his thought. The Room was known to everyone in the Defense Study Group, so it was possible they were using it as a private place to practice, an action that Harry heartily endorsed.

"Think I'm just going to go to sleep, after all I have my favorite pillow right here," replied Ginny with a smirk as Harry slid to the side, allowing Ginny to place her legs on the couch.

"You won't see me complaining," said Harry as he conjured a blanket from mid air, placing it on both himself and Ginny. "I have some important news but it can wait until morning after I hold Quidditch practice."

Ginny raised her head up enough so her and Harry could kiss, before collapsing after a long period of non stop working.

"Night Harry," muttered Ginny sleepily.

"Night Ginny," said Harry, putting up a privacy ward around the parameter of the couch, so they weren't disturbed, before slowly drifting off to sleep, his arms wrapped around his girlfriend, resolving to worry about what came next tomorrow.


	14. Chapter 14: Uncertain Reality

**Chapter Fourteen: Uncertain Reality**

Draco Malfoy walked towards the Headmaster's office for his Ministry mandated meeting with Dumbledore. It was something that Draco felt that was beneath him but to keep up all appearances, Malfoy had to attend all these meetings. He needed to remain at Hogwarts until Potter laid dead at his feet, for the world to see. Then everyone would see that Potter was a true flash in the pan and Draco Malfoy was the epitome of what a wizard should be.

"Licorice Wand," muttered Draco in a slightly disgusted voice, causing the gargoyle of Dumbledore's office to spring open, allowing the Malfoy heir to enter the corridor leading towards the office. Draco raised his hand up before knocking on the door.

"Enter," declared Dumbledore's voice from within his office and Draco pushed open the door, entering the office where Dumbledore sat behind his task, his eyes twinkling as Draco walked inside, with a blank expression on his face. "Ah yes, Draco, do come in, have a seat."

Draco slowly sat down opposite Dumbledore, careful not to make too much eye contact with the Headmaster. Dumbledore had his ways of getting information from people and it would not be a good idea to make it too easy for Dumbledore.

"Well, a very interesting week if I may say so myself," declared Dumbledore in a faux kindly voice that was so sugary sweet that it made Draco want to vomit right there. "Have you had any problems settling back in?"

"No, Headmaster, I haven't," replied Draco without the slightest hint of emotion. "Starting back as a fourth year has been a minor inconvenience but it may be for the best, as several things quite have been overlooked when studying independently."

Of course, Draco's independent study consisted of mostly of him diving headfirst into the dark arts, in a thirst for power, a thirst for knowledge; he would make Potter, his friends, and his family all pay for ruining his life.

"Quite correctly, thus is the drawback of independent study," replied Dumbledore. "I must say that the teaching so far this year has been way above any standards that I could expect ever from Hogwarts. With the exception of the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, sadly."

Dumbledore looked at the desk.

"Not that I should be saying this, but this was forced upon me by the Ministry of Magic, in an attempt to atone for Dolores Umbridge's regime last year, forgetting that they were the one's who insisted that she teach last year," declared Dumbledore. "Severus Snape would have been a more apt Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but the Ministry insisted that I hire Lily Potter, no doubt they wanted to gain favor with young Mr. Potter."

"Professor Potter has been a decent teacher especially given her bloodline," declared Draco in a grudging voice, who still believed that all Mudbloods should be executed or at least thrown off the Astronomy tower without a wand, but could not dispute the fact that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher new the subject, even if her methods seemed to flaunt the face of pureblood logic.

"Not a question of her talents my boy, but more like her mental stability," declared Dumbledore in a tired voice. "I fear her near death experience at the hands of Lord Voldemort has addled her mind. She is using her own son as a pawn to gain control of the Wizarding World, and as much as I try to have helped the boy, he shunned me, he refused, no doubt afraid that I would detected that Harry Potter was treading down a path of darkness. Lily is obviously accelerating that process of young Harry's decline to the dark arts and I fear that should he find a way to defeat Lord Voldemort, the decline of the British Wizarding World would crumble further."

"A shame, but surely the great Professor Dumbledore is trying to stop this from happening," replied Draco, not able to help himself to keep a little of the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Harry Potter is charismatic as Lord Voldemort, he has many allies in powerful places, and seventy percent of the Hogwarts students seems to hold Harry in the highest esteem, even before his mother had managed to come back to his life Harry was a danger to all who didn't agree with him," declared Dumbledore calmly. "Lily Potter was one of the brightest students to ever pass to Hogwarts, able to discover some quite lethal and dangerous spells, many she used to help with the cause of the light side against Death Eaters, but now she has deluded herself to believe that I am not to be trusted."

Draco just sat there, wondering what kind of fool Dumbledore took him for. His father had always stated that anyone who didn't kiss the very ground that Albus Dumbledore had walked on, they were branded a dark wizard and a threat to the magical world. Potter obviously didn't trust Dumbledore at all, the only thing that Draco felt that Potter would ever have in common with him. Still he had to play the game, even if he was playing both Dumbledore and Potter to an extent. After all, he was a pureblood of the highest caliber and not a filthy half blood or a senile old fool hanging onto his past glories, not having done anything relevant in past year. He was Draco Malfoy!

"I trust you wish for this to not leave this office, Professor," replied Draco in an even voice, making sure to shield his innermost thoughts with frivolous memories, in an attempt to block Dumbledore's slight probes into his mind.

"Very astute young Draco, it pleases me greatly to see that you have chosen a path quite differently from your father, quite unfortunate really, as Lucius did have a great deal of potential," replied Dumbledore calmly. "Still Draco, you do have the potential to be great, if you move down the correct path."

Draco kept a blank expression upon his face, very well aware that the right way meant Dumbledore's way which in turn meant the right way for Dumbledore and not right for any sane person on the planet, along with the majority of the insane. Still many people followed Dumbledore, much like sheep, not bothering to think for themselves. The old man was attempting to persuade Draco to follow his path with praise, not that the Malfoy heir didn't agree about his greatness.

"Thank you, sir," replied Draco in a calm voice. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, Draco, I do realize it is getting rather late, best not to be in the corridors during these times," declared Dumbledore. "Good night, Draco."

"Good night, Headmaster," replied Draco as he slowly made his way out of Dumbledore's office, careful not to look all that eager at moving away from Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked at the retreating boy as he left. The Malfoy boy would be perfect for the ritual to give him a new body. Malfoy lacked power, but that mattered little to Dumbledore, as if all went to plan, he would resume his original form and finish what he had started previously in another time.

Saturday morning brought nice, clear, sunny weather that was neither too hot nor too cold, the ideal conditions for the first Quidditch practice of the season for the Slytherin Quidditch Team, captained by Harry Potter, who many felt was one of the best Seekers to ever pass through Hogwarts in recent memory. The previous year, Harry had been judged to be the best choice for captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team, replacing the long term captain, the trollish future Death Eater Marcus Flint. Harry reinvented the Slytherin Quidditch team, replacing the old ideals of size and the ability to cheat, with speed and ability.

During tryouts the previous year, Harry analyzed each person's strengths and weaknesses, before putting together a team that he felt worked well with each other. With keeper Blaise Zabini, beaters Rob Turner and Jack Maff, chasers Isabelle Martinez, Victoria Knox, and Ginny Weasley, and of course, Harry leading the team as the chaser, the Slytherin Quidditch team had done well against the Gryffindor team in their only match. Harry's untimely departure last year and the cancelling of Quidditch was most unfortunate, as Harry was extremely confident that the team he put together could have won the Quidditch Cup fair and square.

"I'll be straight and to the point, people did sign up for tryouts, but as captain, I made my decision last year about this team," declared Harry calmly. "I do not like messing with a successful formula and that one match with Gryffindor last year proved that without any question that we are the best team at Hogwarts. Now that does not mean that we should relax our training, in fact we will train just as hard this year, if not harder, as this Quidditch Team will be my legacy to the Magical World as far as I'm concerned. The Quidditch Cup will remain in the Slytherin house once more, so let's get out there and practice!"

With that short speech, the Slytherin Quidditch Team practiced for two hours, reviewing many of the tactics that Harry had trained them with over the past year, and training strategies. Overall, the training strategy went rather smoothly, Harry had dismissed practice a bit earlier than he might of, as he didn't want to overdo it on the first day. Moving back into Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny moved towards the Room of Requirement where Daphne, Theodore, and Hailey were awaiting their arrival, as Harry was going to update them on the events of the previous evening.

In the Room of Requirement, Daphne held up the Daily Prophet as Harry and Ginny entered the room, still with their Quidditch uniforms on.

"Take a look at this," replied Daphne with a bit of a smirk as she handed over the paper.

_**You-Know Who Meets His Match?:**_

_**Rabastan Lestrange Kills Self to Avoid Power of Harry Potter:**_

_**By Ian Chambers. **_

_Last evening, a group of followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were found by Ministry officials secured in a corridor in the Auror Department. They had been led by Rabastan Lestrange in an assault on the K. Riddle Memorial Hotel, but yet their leader appeared to remain at large. A further investigation yielded the Ministry to find the grisly remains of the fugitive Rabastan Lestrange in the parking lot(a place where the Muggle transportation known as "automobiles" are kept during the stay at this hotel). While the official cause of death has been unknown, sources say that Harry Potter(the Boy-Who-Lived) was seen in the proximity of the hotel and may have assisted the Aurors arriving on the scene with the capture of Death Eaters, among them Rory Wilkes who was previously acquitted, having claimed to be under the Imperius Curse. The stance of the Ministry on these prisoners that were previously acquitted being found with the dark mark has been rather harsh as of late. It is expected that Wilkes will be placed in the maximum security wing of Azkaban._

_So, what caused Lestrange to take the plunge and how exactly is Harry Potter involved? Unconfirmed reports say that young Harry confronted the Death Eater, before taking his wand in a blink of an eye and displaying magical talent beyond then likes that any had ever seen. In fear of this unknown power, Lestrange threw himself through an opened window, despite not having a wand to slow his descent. This ended badly for Lestrange as he splattered himself on the parking lot, snapping several bones in his body, including his neck, dying immediately. _

_If Harry Potter was able to terrorize a hardened criminal, then the reign of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could be drawing to a close. Young Mr. Potter may be added to the list of those who He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named fears above all others, right beside Albus Dumbledore. _

"A very interesting perspective, but I don't believe the Daily Prophet after all the lies they print," declared Daphne.

"Actually, I had those lies planted, but damn if they didn't jump on them quickly," remarked Harry in a bit of awe.

"So exactly what happened, as I doubt that the fact that Rabastan Lestrange was dead, with you having some involvement wasn't fabricated at all," said Theodore calmly.

"Basically I followed the lead that my informant gave me, evacuated the hotel hours before they were supposed to attack, before I went there myself to pose as the hotel clerk," explained Harry. "Rabastan Lestrange and his Death Eaters entered, the Aurors knocked them unconscious, except for Rabastan Lestrange who decided to make a break for it. I had the foresight to put Anti-Magical transportation wards around the hotel, so his only chance would be to make it to the roof where he could use his portkey."

"Yet, he didn't quite make it to the roof," prodded Hailey.

"Quite right, I dueled him, he lost and I dangled him outside a window, where I convinced him to share some information within him, before he had a slight falling out," remarked Harry.

"Information, what information, did you find out anything interesting?" asked Ginny, as Harry did tell her last night that he had found out some interesting information.

"Well I managed to get a vague answer out of him regarding Bellatrix Lestrange being on a mission of some sort for our favorite psychotic Dark Lord, but that's just minor compared to what I shook out of him before he dropped out of the picture," replied Harry. "The location of Peter Pettigrew, at some place called Spinner's End."

"That's great Harry," replied Ginny. "If everything goes right, Sirius's name will be cleared."

"Not so fast, I do have to catch Pettigrew first and he has been known to pull off some tricky escapes in the past," said Harry.

"True, you almost had him during third year," said Daphne. "And if you captured him then, Voldemort's return might have been delayed as Pettigrew wouldn't have been able to lend a hand."

"Both literally and figuratively," added Theodore before adding. "But, Harry, if you capture Pettigrew, you might deal a good blow to his forces."

"Yeah, one of his best spies, as his Animagus form allows him to slip into the smallest areas to spy into people undetected," muttered Harry. "Still, I wish I knew where this Spinner's End place was."

"Don't have a clue Harry, maybe it's in a Muggle area," said Theodore, frowning.

"Doesn't matter, as I have people looking into it right now as I speak, hopefully I get an answer rather soon," replied Harry waving it off. "I've told you everything that I found out."

"Just in time too, Hufflepuff Quidditch tryouts are in a half hour and Smith would find any excuse to get me off the team," declared Hailey as she walked from the Room of Requirement to get out to the Quidditch field early, leaving Harry, Ginny, Daphne, and Theodore alone in the Room of Requirement to talk about the first week of Hogwarts.

Later that day, Harry and Ginny made their way up to Lily's office, as she wanted to update them on the situation of the supplemental Defense Against the Dark arts classes.

"Most of the people who signed up for the study group last year, also signed up for the extra classes," replied Lily. "Many of the first years also expressed interest but I advised them to wait for a few weeks."

"Yes, I don't want anyone to sign up and then have to backtrack when the work is too demanding," replied Harry in an absent minded voice before adding. "On other subject, on my little raid on that death eater attack, I found out an interesting piece of information."

"Really, what?" asked Lily.

"The location of Peter Pettigrew," replied Harry casually, which caused his mother's eyes to snap up in interest.

"He's at some place called Spinner's End," added Ginny. "Harry's having people look into leads to see if there might be any people in the Wizarding World living in that area."

"I know where that place is!" declared Lily, in sudden realization but Harry couldn't help but notice a mixture of disappointment and anger in his mother's face before she turned away.

"How?" asked Ginny in a bewildered voice.

"No time to explain, Harry, get your Portus-Amulet out, we're going there right now, I wish to have a few words with Peter at any rate," said Lily in a voice that hinted forced calmness and Harry just shrugged, as Ginny opened her mouth as if to say something.

"Later," muttered Harry, as Ginny grabbed his hand, still looking at Lily with a bewildered expression, with Harry removing his Portus-Amulet from his pocket, before placing it around his neck. Lily pulled her wand out and placed her hand on her son's arm, before tapping her wand on the amulet, drawing the three magically towards their destination.

Ginny, Harry, and Lily dropped outside of a rundown shack that overlooked a winding hill. Harry could not help to have the belief that this home belonged to a rather reclusive man. At the very least, it didn't invite any hint of hospitality.

"Inside, quickly," muttered Lily as she opened the door with her wand. Harry and Ginny followed her inside, as Lily looked around before adding. "You check down here and while I check the upstairs area."

Without another word, Lily made her way upstairs, leaving Harry and Ginny alone to search the downstairs area, which was absolutely dusty.

"Harry, you have a feeling that your mother is hiding something," muttered Ginny in an undertone.

"Yes, but if I needed to know, she would tell me," replied Harry calmly, as he shifted aside a stack of parchment. "Just forget about it Ginny, we need to search for Pettigrew."

Ginny nodded knowing how important this was to Harry, looking behind an old, mostly barren book shelf, as it would have been very easily for Pettigrew to slip behind in his Animagus form.

"Nothing in here," muttered Harry as he had finished checking underneath a worn sofa and then on an equally battered chair before his eyes were caught on a slightly open door leading towards a stairway going down. Harry pointed towards it, before slowly pulling open the door, with his wand ready, with Ginny following behind. This area of the house seemed to be a bit more well kept than the rest of the area and looking closer, it was a basement converted into a state of the art Potions lab.

"Wow, whoever built this place must have had a lot of resources to get some of these ingredients," declared Ginny in an awed voice as she looked around. "Not to mention this connection of books too, all those texts couldn't have been cheap."

"I believe that whomever this lab belongs to, they put all their resources in building this Potions lab, neglecting the rest of this house," replied Harry as he moved around, checking for any secret rooms that might be hidden from within.

"I can't really see anyone who would be that obsessed with potion making, other than Professor Snape," replied Ginny and then Harry dropped his wand in sudden realization.

"Snape, of course, it would make sense, he was accused of being a Death Eater during Voldemort's first reign, but he was let off," replied Harry. "Not that means anything, but Snape is a rather interesting case."

"What do you mean, Harry?" asked Ginny.

"I really think Snape had second thoughts the first time around, but was forced back under the service of Voldemort this time," answered Harry. "By the person who was most likely to help get him off the hook…"

"Dumbledore," hissed Ginny. "That means Snape is another puppet of the Headmaster, but what about Wormtail?"

"I don't know, from what Sirius, Remus, and even Mum told me, there was no hint at all that he was a traitor before he betrayed my parents to Voldemort, which makes me suspect strongly that Dumbledore might have prodded him towards that direction, just like he planted those doubts in Sirius's head that got them to change the Secret Keeper," replied Harry. "Of course, this is just purely speculation, not that helps us find Wormtail. Unless Mum finds something upstairs, I think he might have checked out some time ago."

"Harry, why do you think that Lily knew where this place was?" asked Ginny.

"No idea at all," remarked Harry calmly. "All I know is she had a quite negative reaction towards Snape when I told her he was a teacher at Hogwarts, not that means anything as Sirius did as well. I wonder if…"

"HARRY, GINNY!" yelled Lily's voice from upstairs, cutting Harry off before he could finish what he was saying.

"Better go see what Mum's found," said Harry as he moved forward, with Ginny right behind him. They reached the ground floor with Lily standing in the open door, leading them towards the upstairs area, beckoning them to come forward up the rickety stairway before reaching a small room with a cot and a discolored copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry bent down, seeing that the Daily Prophet was from August. "Well, whoever is in this room hasn't been here since at least August."

"I don't know, this bed was recently slept in, so maybe there are sensory charms around the outside of the house that alerts anyone of the arrival," replied Lily. "Peter could have slipped out the back door as a rat when he came in the front door but he's not here right now."

Lily waved her wand as if testing something, before waving it in a triangular motion around the parameter of the room.

"No charms that I can detect, but I've put a monitoring spell around this room, if anyone gets in, I'll know about it," explained Lily. "Not really much of a point sticking around once longer."

Without another word, Harry used the Portus-Amulet to transport them back to his mother's office at Hogwarts.

Lily sat down in a chair behind her desk, as Harry and Ginny took bid her farewell. When Lily was sure her son and his girlfriend were gone, she lit a fire in the fireplace, reached over to a glass jar underneath her desk, before pulling out a handful of Floo powder from the jar and throwing it in the fireplace.

"Severus Snape's office!" declared Lily in a clear voice, as she walked into the fire, transported into Snape's office. As she arrived, Lily had her wand out, managing to keep her eyes on Snape, who was busy grading assignments. "Snape, I want a word with you, now!"

"Ah, Lily, what's the cause of this visit?" asked Snape calmly, as he looked up from his papers.

"Can the small talk, Snape, I know you are hiding Peter Pettigrew," replied Lily. "His last known residence was at Spinner's End, in the same house where you reside in I might add. Where was he moved to?"

"Lily, I don't know how to break this to you, but Pettigrew has been dead for fifteen years and good riddance to him as well," replied Snape in a calm voice. "Black killed him, along with twelve other Muggles. It's a shame that the Dark Lord addled your mind when he attempted to kill you."

"Severus, you know I'm not a fool, so don't treat me like one," hissed Lily in a dangerous voice. "Harry saw him twice since, alive I might add, he helped Voldemort return to life."

"Black put a confundus spell on your son to make him believe Pettigrew did what Black did and Dumbledore agrees with me," answered Snape smoothly.

"You're one who is Confunded, Snape!" yelled Lily angrily. "You refuse to see the truth, but I suppose I can't expect anything less from a man who still holds a childhood grudge to this day. It's quite pathetic really."

Lily thought she detected a slight twitch from Snape but perhaps it was a figment of her imagination, Snape looked at her calmly.

"I have to believe that your mind as addled from that failed killing curse, Lily," said Snape in a calm voice, perfectly aware that Lily looked to be seconds away from hexing him. "Now, I do have papers to mark, so if you have nothing else to do other then attempt to get the whereabouts of a dead man out of me, I suggest you leave."

Lily stared at Snape with pure venom in her eyes, before slowly backing towards the fire, not turning her back on Snape for one second before she exited his office through the Floo Network.

Snape watched her leave, perfectly aware that he had the perfect opportunity to kill her just as Dumbledore had asked to have that Unbreakable Vow lifted. There were no witnesses but Snape held back from the killing. In the back of his mind, the Potions Master wondered if he had blown the perfect opportunity to escape from Dumbledore's clutches.

Snape resolved not to think about it. He knew where Pettigrew was moved but Dumbledore had demanded that he would not reveal the location of the rat to anyone, especially Lily Potter. Only Dumbledore, the Dark Lord, Snape, and Wormtail knew of the new location of the rodent. Dumbledore saw the woman as the personification of a dismal failure, and Snape did as well, but for drastically different reasons than the Headmaster did.

Yet, Lily might be the only other person who would have the knowledge to lift an Unbreakable Vow, because of her work in the Department of Mysteries. Snape hoped that Lily would be able to deduce the true meaning from the words that he made in one statement. Not that Snape held up much hope of her willingly helping him, as some wounds ran too deep to be healed by time.

Still, Snape had to try. The other way to remove the Vow would be to have the blood of an innocent person on his hands, something Snape tried to avoid at all costs. Thankfully, the Dark Lord needed a Potions Master of the highest magnitude, so Snape was spared mostly for actual combat, despite his above average dueling skills, with the body count from his wand being low as compared to Lucius Malfoy or Bellatrix Lestrange.

The next week weeks of Hogwarts went by rather quickly with all things considered. The increased course load for the sixth years caused Harry to have less free time then he would have liked. Factoring in Quidditch practice along with the Supplement Defense Against the Dark Arts classes that he and Ginny taught, with the help of Daphne, Theodore, and Luna, there were periods where Harry had nearly forgotten about Voldemort. Then the latest news of the Daily Prophet of mysterious attacks believed to be brought on by Voldemort had reminded Harry that his enemy still existed. And the attacks seemed to be getting more brutal by the day, but the brutality of these latest attacks were not what struck Harry as odd, but rather the choice of venues.

"Look at this, an amusement park was obliterated by Voldemort, believed to be work of giants," said Daphne Sunday morning in the latter part of September at Breakfast as she read the Daily Prophet.

"So in the last week Voldemort has attacked an amusement park, a playground, and a museum," replied Harry. "These three attacks are among his most brutal yet, with giant involvement being heavily rumored, along with his usual mixture of Death Eaters and Dementors. Anyone drawing a link between these attacks?"

"All places where young children frequent," suggested Theodore, as that was the first thing that came to mind.

"Exactly and a representation of the childhood that Voldemort could never have because he was at that Orphanage," declared Harry. "From what I found out, the children didn't travel far from that place. A small part of Voldemort that still acknowledges that he was once Tom Riddle may be bitter about that."

"Doesn't that seem a little petty?" asked Daphne.

"Voldemort is not attacking these places because he has to, he's attacking these places because he can," answered Harry. "There is no motive, other than inspiring terror among the Magical World and uncertainty among the Muggle World. Not to mention that he's running the Ministry ragged, when they have to modify the memories of people that survived. At any rate, Voldemort has to be enjoying the mess he's caused for the Ministry."

"If nothing else, Tom has that unparalleled ability to mess with people's minds," added Ginny darkly.

At that moment just as he was about ready to take the first bite of his eggs, Harry looked up as he saw a familiar face walking into the Great Hall.

"Hermione, you're back!" declared Ginny in a surprised voice as their friend walked towards the Slytherin table, with a calm expression on her face, before sitting down right beside Daphne and Theodore, and across from Harry and Ginny.

"Hello, Daphne, Theodore, Ginny, Harry," replied Hermione calmly as she sat there.

"How are you feeling Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Better, I was cleared last Tuesday but they wanted to keep me for a few more days, which turned into almost a week," said Hermione in an irritated voice. "They must think the fragile little Mudblood would break if they let her out of their sights."

"Hermione, I'm really sure they don't think that," declared Ginny as she exchanged worried looks with the others.

"That's nice of you to say that Ginny, but you don't need to lie to me," replied Hermione with a weak smile, that seemed to Harry like she was straining to do so. "My parents are dead because I couldn't save them, I couldn't beat Bellatrix, but that won't happen again."

"Hermione, I collected all the homework that you would get," said Harry, hoping to deflect Hermione's interest away from this dangerous path.

"Thank you Harry, I best get a start on it straight away, so I don't have anything to distract me," remarked Hermione coolly. "Speaking of Bellatrix Lestrange, you haven't heard anything about her recently."

"This isn't really the time or place, Hermione," said Harry in an uneasy voice. "Why do you want to know?"

"Honestly, Harry, isn't it obvious," declared Hermione, shaking her head sadly, before dropping her voice into a whisper. "She killed my parents. I'll do everything that I can to gain the power to make her pay for everything she did."

Harry really felt worried now. He saw a rather disturbing peril between his best friend and a young Tom Riddle that he didn't like one bit. Bellatrix's attack had shook Hermione more than he could ever hoped for.

"Hermione, no," hissed Harry. "You can't the need for revenge consume you."

"Consume me, just like the need to finish off Voldemort once and for all consumes you Harry," replied Hermione stiffly. "Bellatrix needs to be put down once and for all and I need to do it. She killed my parents, just like Voldemort killed your dad and almost killed your mum. I thought you'd understand."

"She'll kill you too Hermione," muttered Harry, as Daphne, Theodore, and Ginny looked awkward at the look of anger that was appearing on Hermione's face.

"So you think that I'm fragile just because I'm a Mudblood, Harry, too!" yelled Hermione angrily causing a few people to look up from their breakfast, staring at them. "Of course the great Harry Potter can risk his neck, but no one else can!"

"Hermione, I…" replied Harry.

"We were friends Harry, I supported you, but I guess you are nothing but a manipulative little bastard!" shouted Hermione angrily, a part of her wishing she hadn't said that, but another part thinking that Harry had it coming.

"Hermione, that's enough," replied Ginny in a dangerous voice, pulling her wand out.

At the head table, Professors McGonagall and Snape got up to their feet but Dumbledore shook his head.

"Let it go," muttered Dumbledore, thankful that Professor Lily Potter seldomly attended breakfast. Otherwise this incident wouldn't have escalated to what it did now.

"Headmaster I really think…" replied McGonagall.

"We'll only make matters worst if we intervene," declared Dumbledore calmly, as he turned, shielding a twinkle in his eye at the argument over by the Slytherin table.

"We were friends, I thought we were as close as brother and sister," continued Hermione, ignoring Ginny's warning, all of her subconscious frustrations pouring out of her mouth at once, as if some outside force was prompting her to do so . "Yet, you can't let anyone else have their moment. It's all about you, isn't Harry? If it doesn't fit in your grand plan, then you don't want to hear it."

Hermione stared right into Harry's eyes before whispering so only Harry could hear here.

"You're no better than Voldemort," whispered Hermione in a harsh voice, before storming off, sobbing madly. Ginny raised her wand in anger, but Harry blocked her arm.

"No, Ginny, it will only make everything worse," replied Harry roughly but a blast of light deflected from Ginny's wand, splattering most of the contents on Harry's plate all over the table with some of it landing on Gregory Goyle's plate a few seats away. Goyle didn't seem to notice, instead continuing to shovel food into his mouth.

"Whatever Bellatrix did to Hermione, it has some lasting effects, I've never seen her act like this," replied Daphne.

"Still, she had no right to say what she said about Harry!" snapped Ginny in an angry voice. "Why you stopped me from hexing some sense into her, I don't know Harry?"

"She's right," replied Harry sadly before getting to his feet and walking off, with no desire to eat, before aimlessly walking from the Great Hall to the rest of the school.

An hour later, Lily sat in her office, going over her lesson plans for the next month. She heard a crackling of fire in her office fireplace. With cat like reflexes, she sprung up, holding her wand, reading to defend herself at a second's notice, before realizing for the second time in a month she was face to face with one Severus Snape.

"Relax, Lily, it's only me," replied Snape coolly.

"Unfortunately," muttered Lily under her breath before straightening up. "This had better be important Snape, I'm very busy."

"It's extremely important, one of my students, Gregory Goyle, has been poisoned by an unknown assailant at breakfast," said Snape quickly.

"Sure, you don't need my help, as you do teach Potions and if anyone could come up with an antidote, it would be you," answered Lily.

"I managed to stabilize the boy's condition, but he'll have to keep taking this temporary measure every day for the rest of his life if he don't find the exact antidote to this poison," explained Snape, as he handed Lily a vial containing a sample of Goyle's blood. "Perhaps if you could take a look at it, as I don't recognize this particular strain of venom at all and all the normal methods of testing have yielded no result."

"Very well, but you can return to your office while I examine it," said Lily. "I work better alone.

Snape exited Lily's office through the fireplace, perfectly aware that she didn't trust him at all, especially when she made sure not to turn her back on him when he was still in the office.

Lily slowly opened the vial, before waving her wand right over the vial, using a charm that Harry had mentioned to her to detect poisons in the blood stream that he had found in the Slytherin library. The blood slowly vanished, leaving a yellow substance at the bottom of the vial, which Lily had recognized at once. She quickly moved towards her fireplace, throw a handful of Floo Powder inside.

"Severus Snape's office!" yelled Lily in a clear voice before kneeling down, sticking her head through the fire, seeing Snape who looked perplexed that Lily could have figured out what the poison was so quickly. "It's the Caperalla Strain, a rare venom that causes the nervous system to overwork itself until the body shuts down. Most of the ingredients are rare but the death is often slow, painful, and very violent. Whoever poisoned Mr. Goyle obviously has a weakness for theatrics, wanting to make their victim suffer, rather then going for the quick kill."

"Yes, because there are certain venoms that are much easier to produce and lead to nearly instant deaths," concluded Snape. "Very well, do you know a curse?"

"As you once so eloquently put it, just shove a bezoar down his throat," replied Lily.

"A bezoar?" asked Snape.

"Yes Severus, the stone that comes from the stone of a goat that will save you from most poisons," answered Lily with a small roll of her eyes.

"I am perfectly aware what a bezoar is," replied Snape shortly. "It just caught me unaware that something that simple would cure such a rare poison."

Lily didn't answer, just disappearing from the fire from the fire, having given Snape the information he needed. Snape just shrugged, before moving towards his store cabinet to get the bezoar so he could cure the Slytherin quickly.

In the Quidditch field, Harry sat on the grass, with his back to the bleachers deep in thought. He had sat out here nearly all day, thinking about the events of the morning. The nagging suspicion that he might be a bit overprotective of his friends versus the realization that if any of his friends or family died at the hands of Voldemort's minions or Voldemort himself, that simple fact would haunt Harry. He saw a ring of truth to Hermione's words, as painful as they might have been, but the last two times that she came face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange ended rather badly for her. The first time Hermione was nearly sliced to ribbons and the second time around, she was seconds away from being strangled to death. Lestrange had years of experience on Hermione, having been trained by Lord Voldemort himself, so Hermione was too blinded by grief to see this and was also motivated by the desire to avenge the deaths of her parents.

"Hello Harry," said Hailey as she arrived at the Quidditch field. "Ginny thought you might be out here, couldn't come out herself seeing as O.W.L. year is really picking up and she is swamped with all sorts of homework."

"Oh, hi, Hailey," remarked Harry in a bit of an absent minded voice.

"Look, Harry, I heard what happened with Hermione and I don't think it's a good idea to dwell on it," prompted Hailey as she sat down next to her brother. "She's still taking the death of her parents really hard. She thinks she's a failure and Hermione hates to fail at anything."

"There is no way that she could have fought off all those Death Eaters and saved them in time," answered Harry.

"I know that, you know that, but Hermione isn't the type to stand back and let other people suffer, even if she is getting in way over her head" replied Hailey before adding. "Remind you of someone else, Harry?"

"Quite frankly, I'm not exactly the best person to pattern your life out of," declared Harry in a curt tone of voice. "I don't want anyone to get killed, but damn, we aren't getting any closer to beating Voldemort than we were six months ago. Sure we found one other Horcrux but then what. To top this all off, my best friend wants to track down one of Voldemort's most dangerous Death Eaters, a Death Eater that nearly killed her twice previously I might add and she can't see reason! To top it all off, somehow this is my fault!"

"Harry, I'm sure Hermione will eventually come around," suggested Hailey, attempting to calm her brother down, but that comment only served to set Harry off further.

"Yeah, I wonder how many more near misses it will take for her realize that and exactly how many more times Lestrange will not succeed in killing her!" answered Harry angrily as he sprang up to his feet, with a bit of anger flashing through his eyes. Hailey winced, she wished Ginny was here, she was always good at talking some sense into Harry but then again, considering the fact that Ginny was angry at Hermione for saying what she did, that might not have been the best idea "For someone who is the smartest person in the year, Hermione sure isn't acting like it!"

"Harry, please, calm down, dissension is exactly what Voldemort would want. Besides, how do you know that Lestrange didn't do something else to Hermione when she attacked her that's causing her to act in such an erratic manner?" suggested Hailey in a meek voice. "The murder of her parents didn't help mind you but maybe you should let her cool down for a few days and try to talk to her."

"I'll consider it, but I doubt she'll listen to me," remarked Harry bitterly as he walked towards the school with Hailey sighing behind him, before following Harry inside the school as darkness began to fall over the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


	15. Chapter 15: A New Turtle in Town Part I

**Chapter Fifteen: A New Turtle in Town Part One:**

A small group of Foot Ninjas patrolled an underground cavern deep beneath New York, while several of their fellow ninjas carried a large crate containing a super powered thermal device. Their master, the Shredder, sought the device. The purpose was unknown to the Foot; they just quickly slinked into the shadows doing the job that their master requested to them. Failure was not an option when working for the Shredder.

Smoke filled the cavern in moments, causing the patrolling Foot Ninjas to remove their weapons before walking forward. A shadow that resembled a large turtle raced into picture, prompting one of the assassins to move on the attack, but a quickly swipe broke his sword in half before he was electrocuted. The ninja spent his last few seconds in pain, before dropping to the ground, his heart having stopped from the electrocution.

Three more Foot Ninjas moved forward but a jet of red light flew from the shadows, slicing their weapons to dust. The warriors cautiously moved back, but their attacker had moved behind them. A blade swiped from mid air, slicing into the throats of two of the ninjas in the speed of light, before quickly stabbing a third.

The men carrying the crate moved as fast as their legs could carry them but an explosion blasted the ground beneath them, causing several of them to smash right into the brick walls, killing them nearly on impact. Two ninjas remained in the tunnel and one foolishly charged the figure, but the arm was blocked, twisted around, before the hand of the figure grabbed the hand of his attacker, using strength to push it back. The second ninja charged but was quickly kicked hard, knocking the wind out of him. The figure turned his attention to his first attacker, grabbing him by the mask before viciously smashing his head into the brick twice. The ninja slumped down to the ground. .

The final ninja slowly backed off but a green hand reached forward out of the shadows, grabbing his arms, before hoisting the ninja up with one hand.

"You will deliver a message to your master," declared the figure in a gruff, dangerous voice.

"What?" whispered the ninja.

"Tell him that he will pay for what he did for my race," replied the mysterious attacker.

"Just who are you?" demanded the ninja.

"You may call me, Slash," replied the attacker, leaning into the light to allow the ninja to get a good look of his face. He looked very much like one of the Turtles, only he was a bit larger and wore a black facemask, with a cybernetic replacement where he had lost his left eye, not to mention the scar running down the left side of Slash's face, from his forehead all the way to his shoulder. "Now leave before I change my mind about not murdering you."

Slash dropped his victim to the ground, who wisely staggered off as quickly as he could to deliver the message to his Master like this vicious turtle creature had insisted.

"Soon, Ch'rell, they will all be avenged," muttered Slash as he watched the terrorized warrior scramble off, before the reptile walked forward, before hoisting the crate up with ease and walking down the caverns towards his underground hideout.

Just a few miles away from the American Wizarding Government headquarters, Harry barely managed to land firmly on his feet, avoiding his attacker, who seemed to be using the heavily shadowed environment around him to cloak his attacks.

Harry closed his eyes, before rolling underneath and pulling a pair of shuriken out from underneath the sleeves of his robes, before flinging them towards his opponent, but the unseen force that was attacking him had managed to deflect the attack but Harry remained vigilant, ducking the attack, before rolling forward to the ground and shoot a jet of smoke from his wand to obscure the vision of his attacker as well to make the battle more evening. Harry used the distraction as the means to leap to a tree, before pulling his way up to the branch and pulling out his blade. With a quick swipe, Harry sliced the branch, before kicking it down and then gradually dropping down. A loud grunt told Harry that he must have connected with some part of his shadowed attacker's body.

A Kusari-Gama chain whipped from the shadows, wrapping around Harry's right arm and attempted to pull him into the blade, but Harry quickly sliced the chain with his weapon, before flipping up over his attacker, and removing his wand from his sleeve. He waved the wand, shooting a large orb of light from it. The orb bounced off a tree, causing the entire area to illuminate, showing a white outline of his attacker. The attacker pulled a staff out, twirled it, before shooting a dagger from it at Harry. Harry leapt over the dagger at the last second, causing it to impact into the tree. Summoning the dagger with his wand from the tree, it flew into Harry's hand and the Boy-Who-Lived leapt into the air.

With a quick swing, the staff cracked Harry in the chest, causing him to fall down winded. The light from his spell had disappeared, giving the shadow warrior an attempt to cloak himself. Using his left arm to shield his vision, with his weapon in the other hand, the Boy-Who-Lived listened for the incoming attack. When a swish was heard in the darkness, he swiped his weapon in the air. A grunt of pain echoed and Harry uncovered his eyes, revealing drops of blood falling to the ground, giving Harry a fix on his opponent, dodging around, before swinging around the tree and kicking his foe right in the face with both feet. The shadow assassin landed on his feet, before throwing a pair of daggers at Harry, pinning him to a nearby tree with his sleeves.

In a flash, the attacker leapt up, with sword in hand aimed right at Harry's skull. Harry managed to yank himself free at the last minute, causing the sword to become stuck in the tree. More blood dripped to the ground as the attacker swung around, before grabbing Harry by the throat and attempting to force him to the ground, but the Boy-Who-Lived grabbed the assassin by the arm, before managing to flip him to the ground. Leaping up, Harry attempted to kick his downed foe in the face while he had the chance but another chain shot from the air, wrapping around Harry's ankles, swinging the young wizard around. With a large crash, Harry landed elbow first on a rock, scrapping it up. He pulled himself up, managing to barely block a swipe towards his chest. Another swipe with the sword knocked the weapon out of his hand, disarming Harry. The assassin seemed to be done toying with Harry, a fact that was proven by a couple of sharp kicks aimed right at Harry's knees which knocked him down.

Harry looked up, seeing a brief glimpse of his attacker, before pulling himself up and moving on the attack but a flash of light filled the sky with a small popping noise. The realization quickly hit Harry that yet another mysterious assassin had disappeared before he had a chance to get answers. This would the fourth assassin in many months that came after Harry and now Harry knew that it was far from a coincidence that these assassins were after him. The one thing Harry couldn't pin was a motive, but perhaps next time.

Right now, Harry suspected it was best to return to the lair to get himself patched up quickly before visiting his brothers and Master Splinter and then returning to Hogwarts before anything else happened. He had only intended to pop in to pick up some important information the American Wizarding Government had recovered about potential Voldemort supporters.

In his mansion, Oroku Saki awaited the arrival of the Mayor of New York, who was putting together a presentation regarding the dedication of a statue in Central Park to commemorate Saki's efforts in helping rebuild New York after the Triceraton. The work was nearly completed; all but the most dangerous alien technology had been removed from the city, the technology that would be most worthy to the Shredder's plans. That was not to say that the technology he had all ready acquired previously had not been useful, but a few more essential elements were required along with the super exosuit impervious to all attacks including magic that Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters were in the process of completing as payment for his assistance of breaking Death Eaters out of Azkaban. Once all was in order, then no one could stop the Shredder. Not the Turtles, not the rat, not Harry Potter, not the Utroms or their accursed guardians, not even Lord Voldemort himself could stand in his way once all was prepared to put his plans in order.

The door opened to reveal one of his Foot aides walking into the picture. The aide kneeled down before Saki.

"Speak," prompted Saki sharply.

"Master, the Mayor is here to see you along with…an Agent Bishop," replied the aide.

Saki paused at Bishop's name for the briefest second but showed no indication of distaste.

"Very well, send them in," said Saki, as he stepped back as the aide opened the door, allowing the Mayor and Agent Bishop to enter the study of his mansion. The Mayor was his usual boisterous, naïve self, while Bishop just stood slightly in the background with his cool, calm, and collected look on his face. "Good evening, Mr. Mayor."

"Ah yes, good evening, Mr. Saki, I don't know if we've had the pleasure of meeting Agent John Bishop here," said the Mayor.

"We've met," replied Saki calmly, extending his hand in a diplomatic matter which Bishop took. "Bishop."

"Saki," retorted Bishop in an equally calm voice as the two shook hands, each staring the other in the eyes with cold distrust. With that the Mayor, Saki, and Bishop sat down in arm chairs in Saki's study.

"Agent Bishop is the head of the Earth Protection Force, an agency that works to protect Earth from alien threats," continued the Mayor.

"Fascinating, I am sure that after the recent Triceraton invasion of last year, you are looking to expand your operations," suggested Saki.

"Yes, Mr. Saki, I shall do everything in my power to make sure a repeat performance of last year's invasion does not manifest itself," answered Bishop in cool voice. "After all, I put myself firmly against any and all aliens that threaten the security of the people of Earth."

During that last statement, Bishop looked directly at Saki without blinking but Saki had no reply.

"Quite an admirable goal, Agent Bishop," responded Saki. "If you don't mind, exactly how do you intend on accomplishing that goal?"

"Classified information," replied Bishop. "I do not want any aliens who might be passing themselves off as a human being to inadvertently get wind of my plans and set everything back decades."

"Yes, that would be unfortunate," said Saki. "I trust you are attending the dedication ceremony tomorrow in Central Park, Agent Bishop."

"Oh, I'll be there, Mr. Saki," replied Bishop shrewdly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Splendid!" exclaimed the Mayor as he clapped his hands together. "I trust everything is of your liking, Mr. Saki. The solid gold statue cost a fair bit of money, but for someone who has given the city so much, it is the least we can do."

"You are too kind Mr. Mayor and yes everything appears to be in order," replied Saki. "I look forward to tomorrow, as I shall give you my personal endorsement for the upcoming election."

"If you don't mind Mr. Saki, I'll be going, lots to do before the dedication ceremony," said the Mayor in a flustered voice. "So if that is everything…"

"Yes, it is," confirmed Saki as the Mayor rose to his feet, shaking hands with Saki, with Bishop's hand slipping underneath a coffee table quickly before drawing out before Saki turned his attention away from the Mayor of New York City.

"I had best depart as well, my line of work is never finished," added Bishop as he followed the Mayor from Saki's study, leaving Saki alone with his thoughts.

Moments later, a frantic looking Karai burst through the doors of Saki's study.

"What is the matter, Karai?" demanded Saki calmly.

"Master, your ninjas, the ones who were to retrieve the thermal device were slaughter, with only one survivor and the thermal device was not brought back," said Karai quickly.

"WHAT!" thundered Saki angrily before pacing back and forth in his study. "That device while not essential was a useful tool to bring my enemies to helplessness."

Saki seemed too angry for words.

"Take me to speak with the survivor," said Saki. "I am very interested to hear the cause of their failure."

Karai nodded before turning around, leading her father towards the one survivor of that particular team of Foot Ninjas.

Deep underneath the sewers, in the home of the Turtles, they were in the midst of wrapping up a particularly intense training session in the lair with Master Splinter. Don, Raph, and Mikey looked very tired with Leo looking as if he was ready to continue the training session for quite some time yet. Master Splinter had dodged the majority of the attacks from his sons in the sparring session, before managing to maneuver their efforts against each other. After a spell, Master Splinter stepped back.

"And that concludes today's training session today," declared Splinter allowing the four Turtles to step back, taking a deep breath. "The strength of the four of your combined efforts was excellent, but the fact of the matter remains that my cunning to manipulate all your efforts to your disadvantage was the true key to the fact you were unable to gain the advantage on me. The mind is without question the most powerful tool that a true warrior can have. Power, speed, and deadly weapons are but tools that are only used to their fullest extent by a properly sharpened mind."

The door of the lair opened to reveal a battered Harry staggering in.

"Yes and when your opponent has a cunning mind all with all three of those elements it can pack a powerful punch," said Harry, as he winced, clutching his side. "Good afternoon everyone thought I'd stop in quickly before I come back to Hogwarts."

"Good to see you, Harry," said Leo.

"How have things been lately?" asked Don.

"Oh you mean since the last time I talked to you two days ago, when I told you all I might be stopping in," replied Harry. "The usual, supplemental Defense Against the Dark Arts classes are going well; Quidditch is going well, but…"

"Hermione still not talking to you, Harry," prompted Mikey which caused Raph to whack him on the head.

"I thought we agreed not to bring that up, since we saw how moody Harry was last time he talked to us," said Raph in a sharp voice.

"No, it's all right," said Harry quickly, but still he had hoped that particular topic would not bring up. "No, she still refuses to see reason. From what I can tell, she's spending a lot of time in the Room of Requirement; I've only seen her once or twice at meals. She's going out of her way to not only avoid me, but also avoid Daphne, Theodore, Ginny, and Hailey. With Ginny, it might be the best, as she's still not too happy about what Hermione said to me."

"You never did say what Hermione said to you, Harry," prompted Leo. "All you said was…"

"I told her that Bellatrix was dangerous, she seemed to take that as me thinking she was weak, and we got into it," replied Harry. "I don't want to repeat what exactly was said, it wasn't pretty and hell, I found myself agreeing with it, but I don't want to see any of my friends get themselves killed. If it was up to me…"

"You'd fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters yourself, while locking everyone else in a dungeon," replied Mikey.

"Yes, but unfortunately, I do need help, but that doesn't mean Hermione should go after Voldemort's top Death Eater that she was injured against twice before to avenge her parents," replied Harry. "I just hope Hermione can see reason."

"Harry, the physical scars of her ordeal with Bellatrix Lestrange may have healed, but the mental scars are very much still present," declared Master Splinter. "I would advise not too press the issue, as the fragile bonds of friendship need to be repaired with care. Miss Granger is intelligent enough to come to the same conclusions that you did given time to mentally heal, but for her sake, I certainly hope that moment of realization comes before it is too late."

"As do I Master Splinter," answered Harry. "On a more pleasant note, my resistance group managed to track down a few more Death Eaters and with the information I got today, my resistance group can go limit Voldemort's forces by a few more, especially when one person on this list is a high ranking Ministry official."

Back at Saki Manor, Oroku Saki walked into the room, where the surviving Foot Ninja slumped against the wall, shaking in terror.

"Speak!" thundered Saki, causing the ninja to wince.

"Vicious turtle…attack…coming…said time cut short," stammered the ninja who was still traumatized by the events in the underground cavern.

Saki looked at the ninja before raising his hand in the air and struck the ninja right in the throat viciously, causing him to drop the ground.

"Those Turtles have meddled in my affairs for the last time," said Saki coldly as he turned his back on his motionless victim, before walking from the room. He paused to look at Karai. "Karai, clean up this mess. I need to make a telephone call."

Karai nodded before entering the room as Saki moved out.

Back in the lair a short time later, Harry had just finished informing his brothers and sensei of what he learned.

"This Mexican Minister of Magic looks like he could be a real problem," summarized Don. "Granted there haven't been that many attacks, but do you really think he's the one who is prodding resistance to the American Wizarding Government on behalf of Voldemort."

"Yes, but fortunately the attacks have been small scale and the American Wizard Government has some rather harsh stances on Voldemort supporters," declared Harry. "Alonso may be behind the attacks, Alexandra has a theory that he's sending people over disguised as people who are running from his regime but she can't prove it. Most of the attacks are in the southern part of the country, but that warehouse fire last week was definitely caused by magic."

"You mean the one that was all over the news that killed fifty people!" exclaimed Leo.

"They said it was an accident on the news," added Raph.

"That's what it appeared to be, until the American Aurors did an investigation, finding traces of several fire spells within the smoldered remains of the warehouse," said Harry in a tired voice. "Whoever was behind the attack are still at large but it's not to say that it was connected to the group of Voldemort sympathizers that exist, but highly likely."

Harry checked his watch.

"I need to get going but first I'm going to check the news to see if anything interesting happened within the last few hours," replied Harry as he pressed a button to turn on the television, before flipping to the news."

"Tonight's top story, the latest efforts to salvage the dangerous alien technology left behind in last year's Triceraton invasion by Oroku Saki was sabotaged," declared the news reporter. "All of Saki's employees who were sent down in the caverns never returned from retrieving the undisclosed piece of alien technology."

Harry leaned in to the screen, with the Turtles and Master Splinter also crowding around. They were all very interested in hearing this.

"Details through the one survivor of the attack are that the attackers were a quartet that resembled large turtles wearing masks and they viciously slaughtered Oroku Saki's men. If you should encounter any such individuals, do not approach them as they may be armed and extremely dangerous. Contact the authorities immediately," declared the news reporter as the look of horror was evident on the faces of all the occupants in the lair.

"We didn't even fight any Foot goons tonight!" complained Raph incredulously. "The Shredder's trying to frame us!"

"It looks that way but why would he do it now?" asked Don. "He could have done that at any time over the years, with all the money and power he has."

"Don, you raise a good point," added Leo. "That survivor could have thought he saw us down there.

"Perhaps, just maybe, it was some other group of turtles," suggested Mikey.

"Oh c'mon, Mikey, get real, I doubt there are any other turtles in this city," said Raph in disgust before turning to Harry. "That's the most crackpot theory I've ever heard. Wouldn't you agree, Harry?"

"I'm not too sure, Raph," said Harry as he closed his eyes. "I'm really not sure."

"Precisely, we must analyze the situation from all possible angles," added Splinter. "The Shredder's motives are often difficult to pick up; all we can do is wait."

Oroku Saki watched the news broadcast with a shrewd expression on his face. Everyone in the city would be on the lookout for those meddlesome Turtles now and perhaps they would now be kept in check so he could complete his plans. There was always the matter of Harry Potter, but the boy would be preoccupied with Lord Voldemort and his followers.

The silence was broken when the doors leading to Saki's study blasted right into dust. Saki sprung up; ready to fight when he saw a large hulking turtle standing in the doorway.

"Good evening, Ch'rell or I suppose you go by the Shredder now!" declared Slash as he advanced on Saki. "It doesn't matter, as you'll be dead meat in a minute."

Saki rolled underneath a jet of laser fire from Slash's blaster, before springing up and knocking the weapon from his hand. The turtle grabbed Saki by the throat but Saki knocked him backwards into a shelf of books. This move only deterred the turtle for a few seconds.

"You couldn't fight me without your little exosuit you Utrom coward!" bellowed Slash but Saki slammed his hand down on a red button on the wall. Slash moved forward and grabbed Saki by the throat, before pinning him against the wall. "You blew up my Homeworld, now it's your turn to be destroyed."

The hulking form of Hun rushed into the room, looking at Slash with wide eyes.

"Ah crud, not another turtle," grumbled Hun as he looked at Slash. "Drop the Master, freak."

Slash just looked at Hun before throwing Saki across the room right at his feet. Hun bellowed, before charging Slash but Slash rolled underneath Hun's charge before spinning the man mountain around. A vicious uppercut nearly cracked Hun's jaw before Slash hoisted him up with ease. Hun struggled as Slash flung him all the way across the room through the doorways. Hun crashed in the hallway outside, groaning in agony.

"I'll finish him later, but I've been waiting for this moment for as long as I can remember, Ch'rell!" yelled Slash, as he bent down but Saki had a trick up his sleeve or more accurately, a stun gun. Saki stuck the stun gun right in the chest of Slash, causing the alien reptile to recoil in pain from the electricity before Saki rose up to his feet.

"Slash, the destruction of your Homeworld was regrettable but not of my design," said Saki.

"Then let's say you didn't do it, then who did it?" demanded Slash as he pulled himself to a standing position. "A utopian world filled with endless palm trees with millions of my kind living in peace and harmony does not blow itself up. As the only survivor, I demand answers, as it is my right to avenge the needless destruction

"Quite right, but I do know the ones who did destroy your Homeworld and they reside in this city," declared Saki before moving over to a cabinet hooked to the wall before removing a black and white photo of the Turtles. "These turtles are the ones who are responsible for your Homeworld destruction, having profited from the resources of your planet before destroying it."

"My own kind, this is even more disgusting than I could have ever thought!" yelled Slash angrily as he punched a hole through a wall without feeling any pain.

"Yes, I may have participated in some questionable actions, I would never go so low into attacking a peaceful utopian planet," said Saki smoothly as he looked at Slash. "Those turtles have taken up residence on this world but they are nothing compared to the one who leads them."

"Who is their leader?" demanded Slash. "I wish to make them pay, all of them!"

Saki once again reached into his cabinet before producing a photo of Harry Potter.

"He is the vilest criminal in any universe, he is known by many names, but he is most commonly known as Harry Potter," answered Saki. "And they are all here in this city."

"One final question," added Slash. "How do I know you're not playing me for a fool, Ch'rell?"

"I work with the government and I am endorsed by the Mayor of this city," answered Saki as he held up the paper from today that announced the dedication ceremony for tomorrow in Central Park.

Slash read it, before nodding. The government on his Homeworld was filled with honest individuals that would never endorse a cold blooded murderer and he had no reason to believe that things would be that differently on this primitive planet, even if the polluted air was rather disgusting.

"And in an act of good faith, I will set these murderers up, so you can finish them off," added Saki. "I will give you directions to Central Park, be there in an hour, and you will have your revenge."

Back at the lair, Harry, the Turtles, and Master Splinter stayed glued to the television screen.

"If there isn't any other information coming in soon, I don't think we'll find out anything else out tonight," muttered Leo.

"This just in, a special news bulletin, the street gang known as the Purple Dragons are on the run from authorities after successfully stealing a mysterious staff," declared the news reporter. "They rampaged the location of the staff with advanced weaponry and said that no one could stop them. The legend says that the staff will give unlimited power to those who possess it but those reports are most unconfirmed. The trail went cold, but the suspects were last reported entering Central Park. Contact the authorities should you have any information."

"A staff that gives unlimited power, that looks like something that Voldemort might want to get his hands on," declared Harry in a frantic voice as he sprang to his feet. "And since the Purple Dragons work for Shredder, who is also in the league for Voldemort, it is highly likely that he is behind this."

Harry removed his Portus Amulet and prepared to touch it to his wand, to transport himself into Central Park but his brothers made a movement to join him.

"I really don't think this is a good idea, guys," said Harry in a stern voice.

"Harry, it's night, plus you have the amulet, so we can get out if any cops show up," suggested Raph.

"Yes and after your encounter with the assassin tonight, it would put me at ease if you did not leave alone, despite the fact that it is ill advisable," added Splinter. "Proceed with extreme caution!"

"Of course, sensei," chorused the Turtles and Harry as the Turtles crowded around their younger brother, as he tapped his wand to the Portus-Amulet which pulled his brothers and himself into Central Park.

The area around the park was dark and quiet, as the five brothers crept around, weapons at the ready.

A large jet of laser fire interrupted the calm of central park. Several more blasts caused the Turtles and Harry to scatter, where the form of Slash appeared in the distance.

"I don't believe it, Mikey was right!" exclaimed Raph as he ducked around the laser fire before throwing his Sais, jamming the blasters, causing they to blow, sending Slash flying backwards but the alien landed on his feet. "Listen here; there ain't any room in this town for five turtles."

"After tonight, there will only be one of us left standing!" retorted Slash, as he pulled a cannon from his shell. A net shot out of the cannon, trapping Raph in tight quarters. Leo leapt up, swinging his katana, but Slash revealed blades attached to his wrists which he used to counter every one of Leo's attacks before ripping the katana out of Leo's hand and throwing him to the ground with amazing force, causing Leo to nearly scream out in pain.

Don and Mikey appeared on either side of Slash. Leaping up, Mikey swung his nunchucks towards Slash's face, but Slash grabbed Mikey's nunchucks before spinning him around in the air. Mikey slammed in Don, knocking both turtles out of the running. Slash pressed a button on his wristband, shooting thick ropes from it, wrapping both Mikey and Don up in a cocoon of ropes.

Harry leapt up, but Slash caught him by the leg in midair before swinging him around, throwing him into Leo who was just getting to his feet. Don, Mikey, and Raph attempted to vainly struggle out of their restraints but they remained restrained and without their weapons they couldn't break free. Slash removed four pairs of shackles from the sheath underneath his shell before throwing them towards Leo and Harry with expert precision, snapping their arms and legs together.

"At last I have you, but why kill you quickly, when I can give you a slow and agonizing death,' said Slash viciously. "You will pay for what you did to my race."

"And precisely what did we do to your race?" asked Leo in a confused voice.

"You wiped us out callously, destroying our utopian world you heartless murderers!" shouted Slash angrily.

"We did no such thing you nut job!" replied Raph in equal anger. "Once I get out of here, I'll…"

"There will be no escape," said Slash coldly. "This is the end of the line; no one else will be harmed by your evil."

Slash pulled out another laser blaster.

"Going to shoot us to death?" asked Harry. "That seems rather crude…"

"Silence foolish human," said Slash as use the laser to levitate Raph, Don, Leo, Mikey, and Harry into the air. All five brothers were still trapped in their restraints before walking across Central Park before reaching a greenhouse. Gently, Slash pushed open the door of the empty greenhouse before crudely dropping the Turtles and Harry to the ground in different areas of the greenhouse. Slash walked over to a black cube shaped object before flipping the switch. Without another word, Slash opened the door before walking out, locking it behind him.

"I don't know about you guys, but I can't move in these restraints," said Leo and the others made noises of agreement. "Which means Harry can't use the Portus-Amulet to get us out of here, if we can't get close enough to him."

"Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?" asked Mikey.

"No it's not you and looking at that thermometer it's about ninety degrees Fahrenheit in here and slowly rising," said Harry as he craned his neck upwards.

"No wonder, that thing that turtle alien turned on is a high powered thermal device," said Don as he looked up. "Set to explode in three minutes but it appears that it is already sending out small heat waves that are causing the temperature to rise. When it explodes, it will incinerate everything in its past for up to five hundred yards in all directions."

"Providing we don't fry to a crisp first," grumbled Raph as the temperature began to rise above one hundred degrees Fahrenheit and continued to rise with each passing second.


	16. Chapter 16: A New Turtle In Town Part II

**Chapter Sixteen: A New Turtle in Town Part Two:**

The temperature gage in the greenhouse began to rise over one hundred and ten degrees, and was approaching one hundred and fifteen degrees Fahrenheit.

"We've got to get out of here before it becomes too hot to move," replied Leo.

"I'm working on it," muttered Harry as he had removed his wand from his sleeve, and attempted an unlocking charm on the restraints but nothing. "Resistant against magic."

"Great, our one hope to get out of here busted and I'm having no give here either!" yelled Raph as he attempted to push his arms to shred the net but it remained stiff and immobile.

"Don' t give up hope yet, this might just work," said Harry as he aimed his wand towards a nail that was sticking halfway out from a nearby table. With a summoning charm, the nail soured towards Harry, landing right in front of him. Waving his wand, Harry transfigured the nail as quickly as possible, studying the tiny keyhole in his shackles. After a few more seconds, as the temperature hovered dangerously above one hundred and twenty degrees, Harry was finished with his work. Taking the newly created key, Harry placed it in the lock and thankfully it worked, unshackling Harry's arms. Quickly, Harry did the same to the shackles holding his legs together.

"Hurry Harry, disable it, I don't know…how much longer we can stay like this," said Don weakly, with the other three Turtles not looking much better off and Harry raised his wand, shattering one of the walls of the greenhouse, causing pieces of glass to fall to the ground.

"There that should buy a little relief while I figure out this accursed contraption," muttered Harry, as he bent down, before grabbing a piece of glass. Normally, he would have used magic, but he was afraid of doing something that would set the device off, incinerating them all. Picking up a piece of broken glass, Harry sliced the control panel, revealing approximately a dozen wires inside. "Oh, damn, I hope I don't slice the wrong wire."

"And if you do," suggested Raph.

"Should I even need to answer that?" replied Harry rhetorically, as sweat rolled down his face.

"Step it up a little bit bro," suggested Leo.

"I'm just not sure what wire I should slice," said Harry as it was becoming extremely hard to concentrate. "And we only have thirty seconds before this thing goes off."

"Well just slice the red wire then, that's normally what it is when some villain has a doomsday device in the comics," suggested Mikey in a frantic voice.

"Right red wire, so I should slice…" suggested Harry before moving his hand over the red wire and then moving down, slicing the green wire.

"THE RED WIRE, HARRY, NOT THE GREEN WIRE!" screamed Mikey in a horrified voice but the timer seemed to slow down before stopping completely with just one second to go before explosion and the thermal device went completely dead, amounting to nothing but a useless hunk of metal.

The Turtles looked weak in their restraints as Harry walked over, beginning to free them one by one with his wand. Staggering to their feet, The Turtles looked weak and Harry conjured five large glasses, before shooting ice cold jets of water into each with his wand, before handing around them around to his brothers, taking one for himself.

"There, that just re-hydrate us enough until we make it back to the lair," said Harry before he took a big gulp of water, draining half of the glass in one drink.

"Thanks Harry," replied Leo in a grateful voice.

"Just one thing through, how do you know to snip the right wire?" asked Don.

"Luck, I suppose, it just came to be that I should cut it and thankfully I was right," said Harry with a shrug.

"Yes, thankfully," added Mikey in a relieved voice. "The thing I want to know is why that blasted alien turtle attempted to cook us to a crisp."

"He said we blew up his Homeworld but that was a load off bull…" started Raph before Leo cut him off.

"This has the Shredder all over it, sending someone else to finish us off but the question is why?" asked Leo.

"Whatever the reason there is no doubt in my mind that the Shredder was the one that blew up this alien's planet and seemed to manipulate him into believing we did it," suggested Don.

"Makes perfect sense," said Mikey with a nod of his head. "So what do we do now?"

"I vote we track down that turtle and make him pay," suggested Raph who looked ready for a rumble.

"Not yet Raph, we need to get back to the lair, regroup, and plan a strategy instead of mindlessly going out there without a plan of attack," replied Leo sternly.

'Leo's right, when we got caught off guard, he nearly finished us off, that can't happen again," said Harry as he removed his Portus-Amulet before his brothers crowded around Harry as he tapped his wand to it, pulling them back towards the lair.

Several miles away from the greenhouse, Slash walked down the street. By now that thermal device should have went off, destroying those saboteurs. Somehow their destruction felt a bit empty, as Slash wished he would have roughed them up a bit more before finishing them off but it was too late now. Those five meddlers would have been toast by now for sure.

In the blink of an eye a large object thumped Slash across the back of the head. This action caused the alien to spin around, before he looked down to reveal a small tape recorder that laid at his feet. Slash bent down, before the turtle had gripped it in his hand, before he read the note attached to the back of the tape recorder.

_Play this device, to hear the truth about the destruction of your Homeworld._

Slash's interest was most definitely piqued, as he wasted little time to activate the tape recorder. Once the alien turtle had pressed play the following conversation played over it:

"Perhaps, finally, those Turtles and Harry Potter will be out of my way. That naïve alien believed every word I told him, hook, line, and sinker and he will save me the trouble of disposing of my enemies."

"Master, are you certain this is a good idea?"

"Karai, it is the perfect idea, even if Slash doesn't destroy the Turtles and Potter. There is an equal chance that they will destroy him and thus dispose of him as a threat. He wasn't to live when I had his planet destroyed but his kind are dangerous, even if they claim to live in a utopian culture. Understand?"

"Yes, Master, I understand."

"Excellent, with the Turtles and Potter potentially out of the way, everything is in order and I can focus on the dedication ceremony tomorrow afternoon in Central Park."

Slash looked at the tape recorder with hatred in his one good eye, as he crushed it into bits with his hand. So, Saki was as deceitful as he believed in the first place. Needless to say, the turtle was enraged beyond all capacity. Saki would pay once and for all, this time Slash would not give Saki a chance to talk his way out of justice.

Most of all, the fact that a politician, a servant of the people could be so corrupt disgusted Slash to the core. That injustice would be rectified soon. The ruler of this world, the one who had been dubbed "The Mayor" would fall along with Saki. The destructive and tragic end of his Homeworld would finally be avenged and Slash could finally move on with the rest of his life. It was quite unfortunate that he had falsely destroyed the five that Saki had framed, but as Slash reasoned that by destroying Saki, that injustice would also be avenged.

In the shadows, Agent Bishop watched Slash move off to plot his next move with a calculating smirk appearing on the government official's face. Everything was going perfectly to plan.

Back in the lair the next morning, the Turtles and Harry recovered from their near death experience the previous night. Without any other information, it would be rather difficult to plan any further moves. Picking up the remote control, Harry turned on the television to the news.

"Despite the recent events from the turtle saboteurs, the dedicating ceremony celebrating Oroku Saki's humanitarian contributions to the city will take place as scheduled this afternoon," declared the news reporter in a jovial voice. "The Mayor has assured the many citizens of the city that security will be airtight, there will be no need for a panic and any suspicious characters will detained immediately for questioning. For those who are unable to attend, Channel Six news will have live coverage of the presentation ceremony as it occurs this afternoon."

"Well, that's easy, if that turtle does something to drag our names through the mud again, we'll see it on the news," said Leo in a logical voice. "No need to recklessly leave the lair for something that might not happen."

"And if that turtle does show up, I want a piece of him, personally," added Raph in a savage voice, as the five brothers just sat back to watch the proceedings as they unfolded on the news.

Outside of a military facility outside the city, two guards stood outside of a gate, with nightsticks in hand and bored expressions on their face. It was rather pointless for them to guard this base, as hardly anyone knew about it with the exception of Agent Bishop and a few select high ranking members of the Earth Protection Force. Granted it contained dangerous alien attack vehicles that Bishop had confiscated over the years, most recently a supersized tank from last year's Triceraton Invasion.

Footsteps echoed just in the pathway towards the government base. The two guards looked up, surely there could have been no one coming this way today.

"Show yourself!" demanded one of the guards.

A figure stepped out of the shadow, a large turtle with a black facemask and one eye, the other replaced by a cybernetic implant. Slash walked towards the guards who pulled out their nightsticks but Slash ripped them out of their hands.

"Out of my way!" ordered Slash as he thumped one of the guards on the head. The guard fell to the ground, unconscious in seconds. The other one pulled out a handgun but Slash was quicker on the draw, blasting the gun to bits with a laser blaster that he whipped out. The guard stepped back and attempted to call for help. That never came as Slash blasted the guard point blank in the chest with his weapon. The guard crashed to the ground.

Slash turned around to face a locked gate which was no obstacle for the alien turtle, as he reached forward. With a good grip on the gate, Slash effortlessly yanked it off the hinges. The gate was tossed to the side and gave Slash the opportunity to casually walk in the base as he pleased.

The off world reptile looked around, there was a wide selection of weapons and the security there was very lax. Off the bat, one particular item caught Slash's interest, which gave him reason to walk over to gain a better look. It stood before him, a large yellow tank with hover capabilities and built in weapon systems. It was perfect.

Slash climbed onto the tank, before calmly pulling the hatch on the inside open. The turtle climbed into the tank, before latching the hatch shut.

On the outside, the tank rolled from the government base. Everything in its path was destroyed as several cars crushed in the path of rage caused by Slash as he drove the tank. Ch'rell's supposed moment of triumph would end up being his total and utter destruction as Slash made his way back to Central Park with visions of vengeance dancing in his head.

In the lair the Turtles and Harry remained right by the television, as an image of Central Park appeared on the screen.

"Well this is it," said Don, breaking the silence.

"Maybe for once something strange won't happen," suggested Mikey hopefully.

"Right," replied Harry in a sarcastic voice. "And monkeys will also fly out of my arse and fight Voldemort for me."

"Good point," said Mikey. "Neither is likely to happen any time soon."

Leo pointed to the television, while waving his hands to silence the two younger brothers as the news reporter prepared to speak to the television viewing audience.

"For those of you just joining us, we are live at Central Park where the Mayor is holding a dedicating ceremony to celebrate Oroku Saki's humanitarian efforts in restoring New York City to its former prominent glory," announced the reporter. "While there are still a few more months of work to be completed on this endeavor, the city is extremely appreciated because without Saki's contributions, our fair city would still be a wasteland with dangerous alien technology polluting it, that would danger the citizens of New York….We understand the Mayor is up on the podium to address the citizens of New York. Let us go to our live feed right now."

The picture on the television screen in the lair and many other television sets in the city switched to the Mayor walking up towards a podium, with a microphone stand situated right next to it. As he reached the top of the platform, the Mayor reached for the microphone, and then turned to address the audience.

"Good afternoon everyone and thank you for attending this ceremony on this fine day," said the Mayor in a jovial tone of voice. "Over the past year, the tireless help of one man has allowed us to reconstruct the city from the ruins that it was left in at the hands of the alien invaders. While the reconstruction is not yet complete, I feel that this man should be properly honored for his humanitarian efforts to restore our fine city. I rarely use the word hero to describe someone but there is no better description for my good friend and savior of New York, Mr. Oroku Saki!"

Loud clapping echoed from the audience as the camera cut to Saki walking across the stage before shaking hands with the Mayor. The Mayor stepped aside, allowing Saki to step to the podium. Saki waited for the clapping to die down before he addressed the crowd.

"Thank you," remarked Saki calmly. "While I did provide the resources to make this reconstruction possible, I could not have done it alone. The Mayor's assistance allowed the reconstruction to run smoothly and his continued support allowed a job that could have taken years to be condensed greatly. So, I cannot thank the Mayor for his help enough and heartily endorse him to be elected for another term. His service to this great city could not be denied at all."

Saki paused to allow for applause in the crowd, as the Mayor retook his spot on the podium. He looked from right to left, before he nodded.

"And thank you Mr. Saki for that kind endorsement and let's get to the real reason why this press conference was held," declared the Mayor in a boisterous manner. "It is my pleasure to reveal a solid gold statue of the man who helped restore New York to…"

A thunderous rumble shook the ground, which cut off the Mayor. A loud scream of "DAMNIT, MY CAR!" was picked up and seconds later, a large tank rolled into the park. Security aimed their guns at the tank and shot at it, but the bullets barely hit the tank, not even denting it.

"Everyone please remain calm so we can evacuate in a calm manner," declared one of the Mayor's bodyguards, before turning to Saki and the Mayor, joined by several other armed guards, as Hun made his way up to the stage area.

"Master, we need to get you out of here," grunted Hun and Saki opened his mouth to say something but a large missile sailed through the sky, hitting the ground in front of the stage as the audience scattered. Debris scattered everyone, as the Mayor's bodyguards stood, ready to defend him as Saki stepped backwards to regroup, with Hun following Saki.

"Get me out of here!" demanded the Mayor fearfully as the hatch of the tank opened and Slash climbed out, his sights set directly

"There's our boy or turtle rather," announced Don back in the lair, as Harry got out the Portus-Amulet, as the Turtles had crowded around with Don grabbing the remote for the Battle Shell before they were transported right into Central Park.

In the shadows, the Turtles and Harry looked around to see people running, despite attempts to calm everything down. They moved around, before they leapt on the stage right between Saki and Slash.

"All right you crazed turtle, I have a score to settle with you!" yelled Raph as he aimed his Sais at Slash, as Saki and Hun had slipped away doing the confusion.

"I don't have time for you fools," responded Slash as he removed a pin from a hand grenade. The grenade was tossed onto the stage, before Slash quickly grabbed the Mayor and leapt off the stage, knocking the Mayor's bodyguards down in the process.

"Scatter!" yelled Leo as he jumped off the stage, with his brothers following him, just as the stage blew to bits, sending pieces of splintered wood flying in every which direction.

"Now what?" asked Mikey as Slash had just disappeared into the tank with the Mayor who was screaming for his life and the tank had rolled off into the distance, as there was mass chaos and hysteria from the fleeing crowd, who went out of their way to avoid being crushed by Slash's rampage.

"Working on it," replied Don and sure enough, the Battle Shell bounded in the park.

"Excellent now we can follow that rogue reptile!" cheered Mikey and his overly dramatic line was rewarded by a trio of queer looks from Leo, Don, and Raph but Leo looked around, realizing that someone was missing.

"Did any of you see where Harry went?" asked Leo and the other three Turtles shook their heads in confusion.

"Well, I'm sure Harry can handle himself," said Don.

"Don's right, we can't worry about it now, we need to stop that turtle, because if the Mayor gets killed, how much you want to bet we get blamed for it somehow?" asked Raph.

"Right, let's go," ordered Leo and without another word, they climbed into the Battle Shell, ready to pursue their enemy from outer space.

In the park, Karai waved Saki and Hun over towards a waiting limo.

"We've got to leave, not only did that alien turtle Smash or whatever that freak is called showed up, but that Potter brat and the Turtle freaks are here as well," informed Hun, answering Karai's unasked question.

"The Mayor has been captured by that alien, so we will circle around to regroup our strategy," ordered Saki. "His safety is of the utmost importance to my plans."

Saki looked behind him and spotted a figure sneaking towards them in the shadows. If he wasn't such an expert master of ninjitsu, he wouldn't have spotted him.

"Potter," declared Saki calmly before turning to Hun. "Hun, take care of him."

"Absolutely master," replied Hun with a bow as Saki quickly got into the limo, just as Harry sprang out of the shadows to make his move, but Hun stood in front of him, ready for a fight. "Not so fast, Potter, you're going to have to get through me."

Hun rushed Harry but Harry sprang up over Hun, causing the large man to stumble around as the limo containing Saki and Karai sped off. Hun spun around, aiming a huge punch right at Harry's head, but Harry leapt up, avoiding Hun's attack once again. Hun spun around and Harry slid underneath his waiting arms before he leapt up and caught Hun in the back full force with both feet. Hun staggered forward, and Harry leapt up into the air in a somersault before he struck Hun right in the chest with both feet, causing the man mountain to crash down right next to the charred remains of the stage.

Hun rose to his feet, before grabbing the microphone stand that was knocked off the stage in the confusion earlier and charged at Harry. The microphone stand swung towards Harry's head but Harry pulled out his weapon to block it expertly. Hun swung the microphone stand once again but Harry blocked it as the two continued their duel right by the charred remains of the stage in the mostly abandoned Central Park.

On the streets of New York, the Battle Shell began to close in on the tank.

"Okay, now we're in position, two of us need to get onto that tank," announced Leo. "Raph, you and Mikey go and find a way to slow down the tank so we can take it out."

"Right Leo," confirmed Mikey as Raph nodded stoically right by his side, as the two Turtles made their way to a platform in the back of the Battle Shell.

"Activate catapult, steady yourselves guys, this might be a bit bumpy," declared Don as he pressed a round orange button which opened the top of the Battle Shell before he pressed another button that launched both Raph and Mikey out of the top of the battle shell.

"Brace for impact, Mikey!" yelled Raph as they landed on the top of the tank, with Mikey nearly falling off but he managed to hold on.

In the tank, the Mayor was shackled to the wall as Slash drove the vehicle down the street.

"W-w-what do you want with me, anyway?" stuttered the Mayor in a fearful voice. Slash activated the autopilot before he got to his feet to face the Mayor.

"With you, nothing, even through a public servant such as yourself who uses the influence of a master of genocide such as Ch'rell to retain public office and deceive the people should be punishable by death," responded Slash. "You are merely just bait to lure my enemy to me, so let's see exactly how much that vile Utrom bastard needs your help."

"I don't know what you're talking about you mad turtle, but I can pay you if you just please let me go," said the Mayor. "I have money, I used cheaper materials in the reconstruction efforts than I could have, while pocketing a fraction of the money Saki gave me, they will decay faster but I needed the money and I can pay you some of it if you just give me a chance to…"

"This isn't about money you spineless fool, this is about avenging the destruction of my Homeworld and the population on it!" shouted Slash. "Bribing me isn't going to do you any good and in fact, it will only decrease your chances of living."

"Please, no, have mercy!" cried the Mayor who looked on the verge of having a breakdown.

At that moment, the hatch ripped open with Raph and Mikey dropping in to face off against Slash. The sight of two more turtles was way too much for the Mayor and as a result, he fainted.

"So, it's you again," said Slash. "You just keep meddling in what doesn't concern you."

"Yeah, that's kind of what we do," replied Mikey in a cheeky voice as Raph rushed Slash with his Sais but Slash grabbed Raph, before throwing him down hard, coming close to knocking Raph unconscious.

"You just made the worst move of your life!" yelled Slash as he rushed forward, knocking Mikey into the side wall of the tank, while he attempted to choke him unconscious.

Back in Central Park, Harry's weapon sliced towards Hun's microphone stand! Hun looked at Harry with wide eyes, before he stabbed the metal towards Harry but Harry leapt up to the stage and looked up, seeing the covered statue of Saki, an idea having formed in his head. Hun pulled himself up and grabbed Harry by the throat, just as the Boy-Who-Lived removed his wand from his sleeve, before pointing it towards the tarp covering the statue.

"Time to die, Potter!" grunted Hun as he grabbed Harry's head, in an attempt to snap his neck but the tarp flew off as Harry summoned it towards both him and Hun. Hun let go of Harry's head and that allowed Harry to flip over Hun's back. The big man stumbled around blindly and Harry's knee struck Hun in the back. Hun fell to the ground in pain as Harry leapt to the stage.

Waving his wand, a slicing spell decapitated the Saki statue. The head fell to the ground and Harry levitated it in the air, before banishing it towards Hun. Hun looked up in shock as the golden Oroku Saki statue head collided with his chest and knocked him into a tree. Shooting thick cords from his wand, Harry wrapped Hun up around the tree. The big man attempted to yank himself free but his binding was too tight to even be pulled apart by his massive strength.

"Hun, you will tell me what the Shredder's plans are," said Harry, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Go to hell!" shouted Hun, as he continued to struggle against his binds. "I'll never talk!"

"Oh, I think you will, Hun," replied Harry calmly. "There are magical methods of making your tongue rather loose."

"Do your worst Potter," challenged Hun.

Back in the tank, Raph rushed Slash and Slash spun around, grabbing Raph and flung him to the ground. Slash leapt up and stomped Raph's chest. Mikey pulled himself up, and rushed over. Nunchucks swung towards Slash but Slash ducked his head into his shell before he popped up and ripped Mikey's weapon from his hand. Mikey was knocked backwards and Slash prepared to beat Mikey with his own weapons.

"I don't think so!" yelled Raph as he leapt up into the air. Slash turned around and Raph stabbed his Sai right into Slash's cybernetic eye. Slash staggered backwards, clutching his face as sparks shot from his eye. Raph grabbed Slash, before he flung Slash across the tank, causing Slash to crash right onto the control panel.

In the blink of an eye, the panel began to flash red, as Slash pulled himself to his feet.

"You fools, you busted the control system!" shouted Slash, as he removed two laser blasters from behind his back before shooting them towards Raph and Mikey, causing jets of laser fire coming perilously close to hitting both them and the Mayor. "Now this tank will self destruct as the weapon systems will spin dangerously out of control but damned if I'm not taking you interfering turtles down with him."

More laser fire barred down on Mikey and Raph.

"We need a plan," grumbled Raph.

"Well don't look at me," complained Mikey.

"I wasn't!" snapped Raph as he pulled out a two way mirror, as he barely avoided getting blasted with Slash's chaotic attack but the tank jerked to the side, causing Slash to lose his balance. "Now's my chance."

Back in Central Park, Hun screamed in agony as dozens of tiny birds with sharp beaks barred down on him, with Harry controlling them with his wand.

"Call off these feathered vermin!" shouted Hun, as one dove bomb Hun's face, nearly pulling out a chunk of flesh, before it pulled up. "I despise birds you brat!"

"What's that Hun?" asked Harry, as he cupped his hand to his ear. "You want more birds to attack you. Well, who am I to deny a request?"

About six more birds appeared, coming dangerously close to Hun.

"Alright Potter, the truth is that the Shredder had misled that freak turtle to attack you and those other freak Turtles! Other than that I'm unable to tell you anything, as Karai is the only one who knows the full scope of my master's plans," declared Hun in a bitter voice.

Before Harry could respond, he felt an incoming call coming in on his mirror.

"Talk to me," said Harry as he pulled out his mirror.

"Harry, that alien has us trapped here and what's worse, this tank ain't going to last much longer until self destructing," answered Raph frantically on the other end of the mirror. "Leo and Don are trying to get close to it in the Battle Shell but they can't get close enough to slow it down because it's spinning out of control."

"I'll be right there," responded Harry as he waved his wand, which caused the birds to disappear but left Hun tied to the tree. Harry used the mirror to gain a fix of the location of the tank, before he activated his Portus-Amulet to pull himself to the location.

Harry landed on top of the tank and the laser blaster spun around, shooting wildly at the Boy-Who-Lived, but Harry managed to duck down and use his wand to disable the laser canon but the tank didn't seem to want to stop. Aiming his wand carefully at the tank tires, Harry shot ice cold jets of water onto the tank tires. Another quick wave of the wand froze the water, causing the tank to grind to a stop.

Inside the tank, Slash pointed his laser blasters at Mikey, Raph, and the Mayor, the weapons blasted out of the hands of the two Turtles.

"You know, you couldn't fight us if you didn't have your little alien blasters or any other weapons for that matter!" challenged Raph.

Slash looked at Raph before calmly dropping the blasters to his side and stepped forward but the hatch of the tank swung open and whacked Slash across the back of the head, which knocked the off world reptile across the back of the head. Slash thumped to the ground, as Harry climbed into the tank.

"Self destruct sequence to commence in sixty seconds!" announced a loud voice as the tank began to rumble.

"Okay, we need to get out of here and get the Mayor out as well," replied Harry calmly.

"YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE!" yelled Slash as he got up to his feet, clutching the back of his head, with pieces of glass falling from where his cybernetic eye. He ripped a piece of pipe off the wall and swung it towards Harry who barely ducked underneath it. "I'll cave your skulls in if it's the last thing I do."

"Get the Mayor, and get out of here!" ordered Harry, as he pushed another swing with the pipe back with his blade.

"What about you Harry?" asked Mikey as Harry leapt up.

"JUST LEAVE!" yelled Harry in a forceful voice as Raph walked over, slicing the section of the wall that the Mayor was shackled through to the tank.

"Mikey, give me a hand," said Raph and Mikey walked over as Slash had managed to disarm Harry, but Harry put his back towards the wall, before kicking off, which knocked Slash down but only for a second as Slash

"Thirty seconds to self destruction," announced the loud speaker and Raph and Mikey pulled the Mayor up whose eyes had flickered open for a second before he fainted once more. Raph and Mikey looked at Harry but Harry waved his hand, before he ducked a wild swing from Slash's pipe which connected with the power console again and knocked a couple of power cables aside.

"C'mon," muttered Raph in a reluctant voice as they turned to the side before they dragged the Mayor to the outside.

"NO!" screamed Slash, as he went for his laser blaster but Harry kicked it to the side out of his reach and leapt in front of Slash, which allowed Mikey and Raph to scramble to the outside. Slash grabbed Harry but Harry calmly flicked his wand which caused an electrical cable to shoot from the wall and wrap around Slash and another flick of the wand caused the end of the cable to stick itself inside Slash's cybernetic eye remains.

"Ten seconds remain to self destruction," announced the voice over the loud speaker as Slash screamed in agony as he was electrocuted and Harry stepped back before removing his Portus Amulet as the countdown to zero echoed over the loud speaker. Once it reached three seconds left, Harry activated the Portus-Amulet.

The Boy-Who-Lived landed outside the tank before he flicked his wand and a protective dome materialized over the tank. A second later the tank blew up from within the dome, with the debris collapsing in a self contained pile and not causing any further damage in the city. Once Harry was certain the destruction was done, he deactivated the dome and looked at the pile of rubble, with the only thing visible a lifeless green hand.

Mikey and Raph stepped out of the shadows, bent down next to the Mayor, who still was unconscious.

"Good work Harry, I really thought we were goners for sure," said Raph.

From above, a loud and slow clapping filled Harry's ears. As he looked up, he saw a helicopter from above and Oroku Saki looked down at him before four men wearing suits, who Harry suspected were Foot Ninjas out uniform left down, before three leapt into battle, one each knocked Raph, Mikey, and Harry backwards to the ground. The fourth man cut the Mayor free from his prison before they descended up the ladder, with the Mayor.

"Excellent work Mr. Potter, but I believe I'll take it from here," remarked Saki, as he bowed towards Harry, before he slid the door of the copter shut and the helicopter containing the Mayor and the Foot flew off.

"They're getting away!" grumbled Raph, as he punched a light post in anger but at that second, sirens in the distance pierced the air.

"I know, but it can't be helped," answered Harry in a calm voice but there was a bit of underlying frustration visible on the face of the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Yeah and we got bigger problems," added Mikey fretfully as the sirens seemed to get perilously closer but thankfully the Battle Shell had sped into the distance. The side swung open and Don stuck his head out.

"Hurry get in, the cops are coming!" cried Don as Mikey, Raph, and Harry scrambled inside and the Battle Shell zoomed off just turning the corner just seconds before the squad cars drove up the street, towards the flaming wreckage that was once a working Triceraton tank.

Some time later, back in the lair, the Turtles and Harry were joined by Master Splinter as the image of Oroku Saki appeared on the evening news broadcast.

"I am pleased to announce that the Mayor will recover, as he was just shaken up from his ordeal from today," declared Saki. "A more troubling fact remains that these vile turtle criminals remain at large. Today their kidnapping of the Mayor could have proven fatal but thankfully my organization managed to intercept the dangerous vehicle they had used to tear up the city, allowing for a timely rescue. I must echo the fact that these turtles are armed and extremely dangerous, along with being a threat to every innocent man, woman, and child. Once they have been captured, the entire city of New York will be a much better place."

Raph angrily turned off the television.

"Can you believe that the citizens of New York City would buy this?" asked Raph angrily.

"Yes," replied Don. "Let's face it Raph, we don't exactly look like model citizens and the fact remains that we are going to be tarred with the same brush as that other turtle, even through we made every effort to save the Mayor."

"Yes and while your efforts were noble, the fact remains that because of the way the news media is interpreting the events of today, going to the surface is now more dangerous then ever before, as everyone will be on the look out for anything that looks remotely like a turtle," added Master Splinter. "Attracting any added attention would be most unwise."

"Yes, and if we didn't save the Mayor, we still would have gotten dragged through the mud and The Shredder jumped in like the opportunist he is, grabbing all the credit!" yelled Raph as he sprang to his feet, before he paced up and down the lair. "And now we might as well be fugitives, despite the fact that we've saved this city from countless destruction numerous times from Triceratons, Purple Dragons, Foot, and who knows what else! One of our most hated enemies is seen as a hero of the people of New York and to get in his way would destroy our reputations."

"So you're saying…" prompted Mikey.

"What I'm saying is that, even through I value the right thing, I just wonder exactly if it's really worth it to be fighting a battle that it looks like we might never win," responded Raph.

"Don't say that, Raph," said Leo in a stern voice. "A battle is never lost until the final breath and giving up would go against our entire code of honor."

"I ain't giving up!" yelled Raph as he got up in Leo's face. "Don't go twisting my words around Leo."

"Enough, fighting will not solve anything," lectured Splinter in a stern voice as he stepped between Leo and Raph. "All we can do is stand back, keep a low profile, and hope everything will blow over in due time."

"I guess you're right, sensei," replied Raph as he stepped back and took a deep breath.

"I best be get going, I was supposed to be back yesterday evening after all. Please, try and stay out of trouble," said Harry, breaking the silence. "I should be back for Christmas but I suspect I may talk to you all soon."

Harry tapped his wand to his Portus-Amulet before he vanished, being transported back to Hogwarts.

On the outside of town, the body of Slash floated in suspended animation in a stasis tube as Agent Bishop walked by to examine the computer readings that the alien turtle had given off. Bishop pressed a button to record his comments for future use.

"Interesting, another specimen that will prove to be useful for the goals of the Earth Protection Force," remarked Bishop quietly. "Naturally, this alien specimen is not quite the one I wanted, but it still has certain durable qualities that prove to be useful. In time, I will have the most dangerous alien in the universe in my grasp and thus the secrets of his DNA will be unlocked, determining exactly what allowed him to cheat certain death on a number of occasions. Only then will the real work of the Earth Protection Force begin."


	17. Chapter 17: Flying High

**Chapter Seventeen: Flying High**

Most of the Hogwarts students looked out into the Quidditch field with anticipation on the last weekend of October. The weather outside was nice and clear, along with being rather warm for this time of the year. It was the perfect conditions for the first Quidditch game of the year, the latest battle between the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses. Both teams had been rumored to be preparing hard to gain momentum in the first match, to set the tone for the rest of the Quidditch season off to a good start.

Harry looked out towards the Quidditch field, confident that his team was one of the best ever to play at Hogwarts, but also knew that being overconfident may cost them the Quidditch mach. As hard as the Slytherin team was training, Harry could not discount the possibility that the Gryffindor team might have been training just as hard, as they most certainly wanted their first victory in Quidditch over Slytherin in quite some time.

Harry turned to the other members of the Slytherin Quidditch team, all of whom wore equally focused looks on their face.

"I'm going to be brief and let our playing do the talking, but let me just say one thing," said Harry after what seemed like an eternity of silence. "During practice, you all worked hard and improved a fair bit. That improvement kept up throughout all of the practices and today, we are going to play against Gryffindor. This is a pivotal game, but by playing as hard as we practiced, the victory should be in our grasp. So let's just go out there and show all of Hogwarts what the Slytherin Quidditch Team is made of."

Without another word, Harry made his way out towards the field, as the other six members of the Slytherin Quidditch Team followed him out. A short time later, the Gryffindor team made their way out to the field, as the crowd intensity was at a fever pitch.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch Match of the season and what a way to start off with yet another battle between Gryffindor and Slytherin," announced Hailey, who was on commentary, replacing the former commentary Lee Jordan who had finished his seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

During tryouts for that position, Hailey had been the best of all those who tried out, even through she never really intended to try out in the first place. The truth was that all the other people who tried out for commentary were not at all very good. The reserve and regular Hufflepuff Quidditch teams had been playing a simulated game to try out the hopeful commentators and all the bad commentary had gotten on Hailey's nerves, so mostly out of boredom she had decided to provide her commentary for the game, while playing Quidditch. While done mostly for her own amusement, it appeared that she had impressed Madam Hooch and Professor McGonagall enough to gain the job to commentate when she wasn't playing as the Seeker of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team, with rotating commentators from the others who had tried out and had been the best of that rather shoddy group. Granted, it didn't pay all that much, but the trauma that it saved on Hailey's eardrums would be well worth it.

"For eleven years, the Gryffindor team has come up empty against the Slytherin team, but today they are looking to turn their fortunes around," announced Hailey in a boisterous voice, as she looked around at the crowd, along with Professor McGonagall looming over her shoulder closely, to maintain tradition. "The Gryffindor team is composed of mostly new players, with veteran Chaser Katie Bell leading the team. Rounding out the chasers are new recruits Demelza Robins and Amanda Stampson. The beaters are Ritchie Coote and Jimmy Peakes, who have the task of living up to the reputation of the infamous Weasley Twins, who were star beaters of the Gryffindor team for years upon end, many considering them to be the greatest pair of Beaters ever to grace Hogwarts in centuries. The only other returning player is keeper Ron Weasley, who had a bit of trouble in the only other game he played last year due to what many feel is confidence issues, but obviously has overcome them after what was said to be a perfect tryout for Keeper. The seeker is Cormac McLaggen, who had tried out for Keeper but was unable to beat Ron Weasley's performance. To shut him up, Captain Bell put him in the cursed Gryffindor seeker slot which has a higher turnover rate than the Defense Against the Dark Arts position because let's face it, Gryffindor needs a good seeker about as badly as Snape needs to wash his hair."

"POTTER!" yelled McGonagall in a warning voice.

"Right and on the other end of the fence, we have the Slytherin Quidditch Team, who have won the Quidditch Cup for the past eleven years," continued Hailey. "Lead by their star Seeker, Captain Harry Potter, who has quite the lovely and charming younger sister I might add, the Slytherin team has a solid lineup that worked well in the only game they played against the Gryffindor team last year. Their trio of Chasers are Ginny Weasley, Victoria Knox, and Isabelle Martinez are nicely complicated by Keeper Blaise Zabini. Rounded out the team are the beaters, Jack Maff and Rob Turner. There isn't really too much to say about this team, other than their teamwork may very well be on par with many professional teams but it looks like Madam Hooch and both teams are ready to start the game."

"Captains, shake hands!" declared Madam Hooch and seconds later, Katie and Harry did so, before Madam Hooch blew the whistle and the balls went up into the air, along with fifteen broomsticks.

"And we are off and Victoria Knox is not wasting any time, as she swipes the Quaffle, before she makes a quick dash towards the Gryffindor goal posts and she positions to shoot but Coote is over and blasts a Bludger towards her, which causes her to drop the Quaffle to dodge it," said Hailey as she craned her neck upwards. "The Quaffle bounces high into the air and Ginny Weasley and Katie Bell both make a mad dash towards the Quaffle and Ginny grabs it, before spiraling around and shooting it in. Can she make it?"

The Quaffle just barely missed its destination, landing right in between Ron's fingers, who then promptly threw it back into the game. The ball bounced into the air, with several of the Chasers making a mad dash.

"It's really anyone's Quaffle, but Bell manages to grab it past Chasers Weasley and Martinez, and here comes the Bludger ready to decapitate her but Bell manages to avoid contact by dodging the demon Bludger but Turner is on the other end, and shoots a Bludger but Katie swerves underneath it and she shoots towards the Slytherin goals and….she scores the first goal of the game as it narrowly slipped through Keeper Zabini's fingers and into the center goal!" exclaimed Hailey as the Quaffle bounced back into the center field. "The score is now ten-zero, in favor of Gryffindor, who now have a psychological advantage over the Slytherin team now that they've scored the first goal of the game."

Harry hovered over the game, searching for the snitch, as McLaggen seemed rather bored as he circled the field, not bothering to look for the Snitch on his own, but rather to copy Harry. From below, he watched the Quaffle get passed around for a bit, with the Quaffle eventually in the possession of the new Gryffindor Chaser, Demelza Robins.

"Now, Gryffindor looks ready to widen the gap in scoring, but the Slytherin Beaters are in position on either side of Chaser Demelza Robins, with Bludgers and they swing their bats, causing the Bludgers to blast at Robins on either side," remarked Hailey. "The Quaffle slips out of her grasp as she avoids a Bludger sandwich, right into the grasp of Ginny, who eventually shoots forward, ducking a Bludger, and passes right to Isabelle, back to Victoria, who fakes a pass to Ginny, before she passes it back to Isabelle and she shoots it and Ron Weasley reaches forward and once again manages to show off his noticeable improvement by blocking the Quaffle and throws it back into play!"

"Pathetic!" grumbled McLaggen as he flew around. "He almost let that one get through, he got lucky if I would have blocked it in a second."

"That's not as pathetic as the fact that the snitch is hovering right over your head and you haven't noticed," muttered Harry, but only loud enough for McLaggen to hear it and spin around.

"I don't see any Snitch…" muttered McLaggen but Harry, who had really seen the Snitch on the ground had shot straight to the ground quickly.

"The Quaffle is now in the possession of Ginny…wait a minute, it looks like Harry has seen the Snitch and McLaggen has fallen for perhaps the most obvious ploy in the Seeker playbook!" announced Hailey. "The Slytherin Seeker speeds to the ground but the Gryffindor Beaters are in position and with Bludgers on either side and they smack them towards Harry."

Harry dodged out of the way of the first Bludger but the second Bludger crashed right into his right shoulder and the Snitch had disappeared. That was the least of Harry's worries, as his shoulder hurt like hell and he would not have been surprised if it had been separated on impact.

"The Gryffindor Beaters have sent a Bludger straight at Harry's right arm, the arm that he normally catches the Snitch with I might add," said Hailey, who sounded a bit worried at her brother's injury, but tried to maintain her composure. "He's hurt but the game goes on from above and Ginny drops the Quaffle when she sees that Harry has been injured, which the Quaffle is now in the position of Katie Bell, who manages to shoot it from halfway across the field! Can Zabini block it…yes he can and he throws the Quaffle back into play, right to Chaser Isabelle Martinez."

Harry was towards the ground, his arm crooked from where the Bludger hit it.

"Harry!" yelled Ginny in a horrified voice. "Your arm…"

"I know," replied Harry through gritted teeth, who seemed to be biting his tongue as well to avoid yelling out in agony.

"We need a timeout!" yelled Ginny.

"No we don't!" replied Harry. "Stick with the plan, I'll be fine, it's just my shoulder."

The Gryffindor side of the crowd cheered as new Chaser Amanda Stampson managed to shoot a goal past Zabini.

"Slytherin might want to get it together as they are now down two goals as Stampson just shot a goal through," announced Hailey. "The Slytherin team dynamic might be a bit off now, since Ginny is more worried about Harry's injury than playing this game. As admirable as that is, the Slytherin team is suffering for it, as Katie now has the Quaffle, with Isabelle just missing it. She passes it to Amanda, who just barely avoids getting plowed with a Quaffle before she bounces it right to Demelza who fakes throwing it through the goals, causing Zabini to swerve over and she passes it back to Amanda who manages to shoot it towards the goal posts and Gryffindor manages to score yet another goal Gryffindor now leads thirty to zero, as Slytherin continues to fall behind."

"Okay, Ginny, I'm fine, really," muttered Harry as he got up, holding his arm at a crooked angle. "We are already down by three goals and I need all three of you Chasers, along with both Beaters in position to do the maneuver we tried yesterday in practice. Tell the others of the plan, we are closing the gap."

Ginny nodded reluctantly before flying upwards and Harry managed to also fly upwards to continue his pursuit for the Snitch.

"And now Harry looks to be fighting through his injury, as he rejoins the game along with Chaser Ginny Weasley, obviously wanting to maintain Slytherin's winning streak in Quidditch over Gryffindor," declared Hailey. "And sure enough, Ginny manages to spiral underneath a Bludger, before she takes the Quaffle after Zabini throws it back into the game after blocking Katie Bell's attempt for a goal. Ginny makes her way towards the Gryffindor Goal Posts but Gryffindor Beater Peakes is in position and he prepares to blast the Bludger towards Ginny but she aims to pass it towards Isabelle Martinez. No wait it's a fake out but Peaks saw that one coming and turns but Ginny darts forward and pass to Victoria Knox, no wait that's a fake out as well, but this time Peakes falls for that one and Ginny aims towards the goal posts and Ron Weasley dives for the Quaffle but it passes his grasp and right through the hoop, to give Slytherin it's first goal. Gryffindor is still up thirty to ten, but at least Slytherin is finally on the board!"

"Look at that, Weasley, you let your sister get that one past to, that's why I should be the Keeper!" bellowed McLaggen.

"McLaggen is critiquing the performance of the other players when he should be looking for the Snitch, perhaps a fatal flaw but just maybe this is some strategy to lure the Slytherin team into a false sense of security. Nevertheless it is lost to me!" announced Hailey. "Meanwhile Ron is distracted by the Seeker's loud mouth antics, and it's effecting the play of the other team, and Isabelle slips a goal in the confusion, closing the gap between Gryffindor and Slytherin even further!"

"Look at that, Weasley, you fouled up again, and where were you two when she had the Quaffle!" yelled McLaggen as he turned his attention to Coote and Peaks as the Quaffle bounced around, with Gryffindor gaining possession of the Quaffle but not for long.

"Turner smashes a Bludger towards Amanda's broomstick, causing the Quaffle to slip out of her hands and Ginny has the Quaffle, and she passes it over to Isabelle who manages to backwards shoot it past the Keeper who is now yelling back at McLaggen!" announced Hailey.

"Why don't you go and look for the Snitch, instead of distracting me!" snapped Ron angrily, as Katie called a timeout, halting play.

"McLaggen, you are way out of line, and very lucky that you got on the team in the first place," said Katie. "If I feel there is a problem, I will handle it, I am the Captain…"

"Not a very good one, because it's obvious you didn't see my talent as Keeper over this oaf!" yelled McLaggen back. "Plus, I don't know what you're worrying about. Potter's got a broken arm, he isn't going to get to the Snitch any time soon."

"Harry Potter with a broken arm is a better Seeker than most are with two arms, so I am ordering you to get out there and play!" shouted Katie.

"Fine, if you want to lose…" muttered McLaggen as he flew as far away from Ron as possible to attempt to search for the Snitch.

"Bell orders McLaggen to stop pestering the other players and look for the Snitch, while most likely wishing that a trained monkey was the seeker, as it would be a better choice that McLaggen," said Hailey.

"Potter, please keep your opinions to yourself and call the action!" ordered McGonagall.

"Sorry Professor, but I just call them as I see them," answered Hailey before nodding her head. "Anyway, back to the game, as they are now resuming play, with Isabelle having possession of the Quaffle but not for long as a Bludger comes her way but she manages to avoid that and remains in possession of the Quaffle as Jack Maff dodges to the side, to hammer a Bludger towards the Beaters to block them from accessing the other Bludger, allowing Isabelle to swerve to the side, before passing it to Victoria, who manages to shot it but Ron, now that he isn't being distracted, manages to block it, before throwing it back into play but Ginny swerves in front of Katie as she tried to gain possession of the Quaffle. Here come the Beaters and there goes the Quaffle as it gets passed off to Isabelle who manages to pass it off to Victoria who swerves to the left, before shooting it towards the right hoop. Ron darts over but it is too late, as Slytherin scores and now pushes ahead to a forty to thirty lead after a rather shaky beginning!"

Harry looked around for the Snitch and after intense searching; he saw it hovering just a few feet above him. Adjusting his broomstick, Harry went right for the Snitch, but McLaggen seemed to have noticed his attempt at the Snitch and adjusted his course to tail Harry, who was just a bit away from the Snitch but unfortunately just before Harry could grab the Snitch, Demelza swerved in front of him, causing Harry to come to a quick stop just before he would have grabbed the Snitch.

"Demelza manages to save the day for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, as her actions allowed the Snitch to disappear and now once again, it's anyone's Quidditch Match, but Ginny has the Quaffle but this time Gryffindor Beater Ritchie Coote is in perfect position and the Bludger is hit at a precise angle to knock the Quaffle out of Ginny's hands and Katie swerves in, before she passes it to Amanda but Rob Turner fires a Bludger towards her," said Hailey quickly, in an attempt to keep up with all the action. "The Quaffle is passed in a hurry back towards Katie but Ginny manages to sneak in and grab the Quaffle for herself and she throws it as hard as she can. It goes through no way Ron blocks it in the nick of time!"

The Gryffindor supporters cheered loudly as the Slytherin end let out a collective sigh, as they really thought Ginny was going to score a goal. Normally quick thinking and Ron Weasley didn't go together but that time it did and that particular combination just managed to prevent Ginny from scoring the goal.

"The Quaffle is back into play as Demelza passes the Quaffle to Katie, who aims it towards the hoop, but Zabini catches it before it could go through before he bounces it right back and Ginny swoops in another attempt to score a goal and she aims but a Bludger aimed by Peakes causes that goal to not quite pan out as planned," said Hailey. "Nice recovery by Isabelle, who aims and shoots, before scoring another goal for Slytherin which bumps the score up to fifty to thirty in favor of the Slytherins!"

The Snitch hovered a bit off to the left from Harry's current position. Shutting the pain of his injured shoulder out of his mind, Harry blasted up in the air like a cork coming out of the bottle but McLaggen was right on his tail. With one completely healthy arm, Harry swerved slightly to the right to attempt to shake his pursuer off but the Snitch had once again vanished from view. Harry cradled his right arm, before he craned his neck upwards to view for the Snitch.

"Once again the Golden Snitch eludes the Slytherin Seeker, but so much is happening that we can't dwell on that for too long as Katie swerves to the right, allowing her room to pass the Quaffle to Demelza who passes it to Amanda and she dodges a Bludger, before she passes it back to Demelza who is in position!" yelled Hailey as she looked around wildly, as the action was fast and furious. "She shoots the Quaffle but Zabini manages to quickly fly over and catch it for an expert block and now the Quaffle is back into play, with Victoria gaining the Quaffle and flies towards the Gryffindor goal posts but her course is redirected by a Bludger. The Quaffle slips from her grip but Ginny spirals around and manages to gain possession of the Quaffle on the rebound and she dodges the second Bludger fired by Coote, along with an attempt from Demelza to gain possession of the Quaffle before she aims and shoots. Ron Weasley reaches forward but the Quaffle passes through his arms and passes right through the center goal hoop as well, which bumps the score up to Slytherin pushing themselves ahead Gryffindor sixty to thirty!"

The match continued with mostly the Quaffle changing possession several times without anyone coming close to scoring a goal.

"Ginny has the Quaffle, but a Bludger moves her way and knocks her backwards slightly, with the Quaffle taking the majority of the impact!" announced Hailey. "The Quaffle slips out of her hands but Victoria swoops in to catch the Quaffle before the Gryffindor Team Chasers could gain possession of it. Passing to Isabelle who swerves around before passing it back to Ginny, as she spins around, avoiding an attempt by Coote to disarm her before shooting but this time Ron Weasley blocks his sister's shot and throws it back into the mix, where Katie Bell gains possession of the Quaffle and she throws it to Demelza! No, Isabelle swoops in and takes it from underneath her nose! Taking aim, she throws it towards the hoop and Ron Weasley manages to block another attempted goal!"

The Quaffle made its way back into play as Amanda made it towards the Slytherin goal side but a Bludger sailed right towards her, knocking the Quaffle out of her hands and enabling Ginny to gain possession of the Quaffle.

"Ginny has the Quaffle, she shoots the Quaffle, it spins wildly through the air, nearly taking out Beater Jack Maff in the process and right through the left side hoop to push Slytherin further in the lead, with a seventy to forty advantage!" announced Hailey loudly. "And now the Quaffle is in the possession of…HARRY HAS SEEN THE SNITCH!"

Sure enough Harry darted forward towards the Golden Snitch. The Boy-Who-Lived flew towards his goal on pure adrenaline and McLaggen had pushed himself behind Harry with all of his might.

"Harry is just inches away from grabbing the Golden Snitch. He reaches forward with his good arm and THAT NO GOOD BASTARD JUST NEARLY PULLED HARRY'S BROOMSTICK OUT FROM UNDERNEATH HIM!" yelled Hailey who had sprang up in indignation as McLaggen had managed to grab the end of Harry's broomstick and nearly yanked it out from underneath him with all of his might. Harry lurched to the side and had to grab onto the broomstick, resisting the urge to "inadvertently" elbow McLaggen right in the face.

"Miss Potter, I'm going to remind you to mind your language, it's very unbecoming of a young lady," replied McGonagall in a stern voice. "What would your mother say about this?"

"I've heard worse from her but that's another story as it appears that Madam Hooch has called a foul on the Gryffindor team and they will receive one penalty shot, which is apparently going to be taken by Ginny Weasley, as McLaggen is being chastised by Captain Katie Bell for his conduct," said Hailey, the irritation in her voice rather evident. "After this foul, Ginny aims the Quaffle but she appears a bit shaken up. She makes an attempt at it, but the Quaffle doesn't even make it far enough for Ron to even bother to block it."

"Resume play!" shouted Madam Hooch and the Quaffle went back up into the air.

"Amanda takes advantage of the confusion by grabbing to the Quaffle, as Demelza swoops into position and the Quaffle is passed to her, and then Katie has the Quaffle and darts forward," remarked Hailey. "Two Bludgers come her way from the Slytherin Beaters but she drops down slightly to avoid them before she aims the Quaffle. No wait, that was a fake out and she passes it back to Demelza, who then passes it to Amanda, who passes it back to Katie, who throws the Quaffle forward. Zabini has his hands on the ball, no wait he fumbles it slightly, enough for it to slip out of his grip and Gryffindor score for the first time in nearly a half of an hour, closing the gap to seventy to forty, still in favor of Slytherin!"

Harry moved up slightly out of the way, in an attempt to get a fix on the Snitch's location, managing to catch Demelza Robins nearly scoring yet another goal but it was blocked at the last possible second. After a couple of minutes of intense searching, Harry spotted the Golden Snitch, which hovered slightly above McLaggen's head, with a brilliant inspiration hitting Harry.

"Hey, McLaggen is that the Golden Snitch floating above your head?" asked Harry with a shrewd smirk that one might misinterpret that he was misleading McLaggen.

"Nice try Potter, but I'm not falling for that old trick again," replied McLaggen in a slightly pompous voice. "I'd get new material if I was…WAH!"

Harry zoomed forward in the blink of the light catching McLaggen completely off guard.

"And Harry has seen the Golden Snitch and Harry reaches forward with his good arm!" yelled Hailey, nearly leaping up in excitement at her brother's brilliant strategy, but somehow managing to maintain some semblance of professionalism. "McLaggen seems to have realized the location of the Snitch but it is too late for him as Harry has the Snitch. Slytherin beats Gryffindor for the Twelfth year in a row with a score of two hundred and twenty to forty!"

The Slytherin supporters cheered loudly and even the Gryffindor supporters applauded at Harry's courageous performance, managing to gut it out for close to forty minutes with a separated shoulder and no medical attention. The Boy-Who-Lived drop to the ground and not a moment too soon, as he collapsed to his knees in agony, with Ginny and the rest of the Slytherin team rushing towards his side as McLaggen looked very sour as the Gryffindor team shot him irritated looks for missing such an obvious catch of the Golden Snitch.

"Excellent, we won," said Harry in a strained voice, as he was on his knees, the pain in his arm nearly unbearable.

"Harry, we need to get you to the hospital wing," replied Ginny.

Harry looked at his arm, it was bent slightly awkward. The angle that the Bludger hit the arm to cause such a break would have been a one in a million fluke and from all indications it looked as Harry had the misfortune of being that rare odd. Daphne and Theodore arrived to check on Harry, with Hailey arriving shortly after, before Harry walked up to the hospital wing to get his injury tended to.

As it turned out, Harry's arm was healed by Madam Pomfrey, but she insisted that Harry spend the night to make sure he didn't have a negative reaction to the spell that she had to use to break his arm in the proper direction before she used a potion to heal the arm.

"Looks like, I'm not going to be able to teach the supplemental sixth and seventh Defense classes tonight," remarked Harry in a resigned voice, as Daphne, Theodore, Ginny, and Hailey crowded around his bed. His mother had already been by to visit, but there was a staff meeting in the early evening that she needed to attend.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," answered Daphne.

"Yeah, Daphne and I will take over the classes, I know you don't want them to fall behind," answered Theodore. "Anything specific you want us to go over?"

"I was planning more work on the Patronus Charm," said Harry.

"Good plan Harry, four people were found in their homes kissed and three of them were Aurors," replied Daphne.

"Yeah, with numbers like that, you would think that knowing a good Patronus Charm would be a prerequisite for joining the Auror department," commented Theodore, before he consulted his watch. "The classes start it about ten minutes, so we better get going."

Daphne nodded before following Theodore out of the Hospital Wing. Hailey yawned.

"I better get going too, I have to write a Potions Essay," announced Hailey. "I swear, Snape wants to kill me before I'm fifteen. Good night, Harry, Ginny."

"Night Hailey," replied Ginny and Harry in unison. Ginny was staying with Harry through the night, something that Madam Pomfrey was rather reluctant to allow, but both her and Harry together could be rather insistent. So as a result, Pomfrey had caved in to their request.

Harry reached over to read a copy of the Daily Prophet that was on the table.

"Oh no," muttered Harry in a horrified voice.

"What is it Harry?" asked Ginny.

"Eight Death Eaters, along with notorious werewolf Fenrir Greyback have escaped Azkaban Prison just this past Monday," said Harry as he read the paper for further information. "The worst part is that one second they were in the cells and the next second they were gone, without any struggle and no one walked in to spring them. The thing is Azkaban is warded against Apparation…"

"Which means someone snuck Portkeys into Azkaban," suggested Ginny.

"That's exactly what I thought as well," said Harry with a frown. "I can't be certain whether or not the Imperius Curse was used through."

Harry resisted the urge to get up and curse as he read the names of all the Death Eaters, each that his resistance group had a hand in personally placing into Azkaban.

"There are more Death Eaters into Azkaban that Voldemort had broken out, so why not break them all out?" asked Harry, more to himself than anyone else. "Greyback I can understand, because he leads most of werewolves and from what I've heard, Voldemort has been having a lot of problems with the werewolves with Greyback in Azkaban. The other eight names, I don't get, a couple of them were fairly high up in the Death Eaters, but others aren't."

Ginny shrugged, she was just as confused as Harry. Harry just sat back, rereading the entirety of the article many times; attempting to figure out a motive of those particular eight Death Eaters being sprang from Azkaban.

Harry yawned, it was getting rather late and if Ginny wasn't here with him, it would have been a very boring night.

Ron Weasley walked down the hallways to the Gryffindor Common Room in slightly good spirits. While the Quidditch game against Slytherin had been a bust, Ron had come close to achieving a corporeal patronus in the extra Defense class after a couple of weeks of intense and quite frustrating work. There were still a few struggling with the spell, but most had gotten close to corporeal or a completely corporeal patronus.

Entering the Gryffindor Common Room, one of the last people to come back from the class, Ron yawned as the Common Room seemed to be mostly empty, except for Hermione Granger, who sat towards the back of the room with a focused expression on her face, as she read a book. In a second, she noticed Ron and quickly shoved the book out of sight.

"What do you want?" asked Hermione as she narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Nothing," replied Ron quickly. "It's just…"

"Spit it out, Weasley," said Hermione.

"It's just I'm surprised you haven't been coming to the Defense classes at night, if anyone would want to have extra practice, it would be you, wouldn't it?" asked Ron nervously.

"So you think you know me like a book Weasley, you think you can figure me out," suggested Hermione sarcastically causing Ron to cringe slightly. "Harry thought he could figure me out, thought he could shove me to the side like all his other friends, while he is the only one who gets to risk his life with his crusade against Death Eaters. He arrogantly thought that I would accept his word as gospel, thinking that he would stop me from making Bellatrix Lestrange pay! He thinks just because I nearly got killed twice against Bellatrix, I can't handle her, I'm weak and someone in need of protection!"

"Hermione, Harry doesn't think that…" started Ron but it was evident this was the wrong thing to say.

"DAMN YOU, RON, DON'T EVEN BEGIN TO THINK YOU KNOW WHAT HARRY THINKS!" yelled Hermione as she got up to her feet. "I've been his best friend or I thought he was for six years, while you spent most of your time either branding him as the epitome of evil or being jealous because of fame that Harry doesn't even want."

"Hermione, I did some stupid things in the past, but I've moved on, grew up maybe, but…" started Ron, before shaking his head.

"But what, Weasley?" demanded Hermione but Ron leaned forward before lunging for the book that Hermione was reading. Ron looked at the title.

"Magic Most Sinister?" asked Ron as he looked over the title of the book.

"GIVE THAT BACK, WEASLEY!" yelled Hermione, as she raised her wand and green sparks began to shoot up from it briefly.

"Hermione, this is a dark arts book," answered Ron in a sickened voice, as he had the misfortune to look at some of the illustrations to depicted the after effects of the spells.

"Yes," replied Hermione coldly with what appeared to be a slight red glint in her eyes for a brief second that caused Ron to step back in fear. "Is that a problem?"

"Well because they'll illegal and….they…well...you might get expelled or thrown into Azkaban if you get caught with this book," said Ron, choosing his words carefully.

"Well then I guess you won't be telling anyone," said Hermione briskly before looking at the worried look on Ron's face. "Now are you going to just stand there or am I going to have to make you move?"

"Hermione I…" started Ron but he just turned his back slowly at the deadly glare in Hermione's eyes and walked off. Hermione was the last person that he suspected would study the dark arts, breaking the rules that badly but yet the proof was staring him in the face. The murder of her parents and her near death experience had changed Hermione, perhaps even slightly warping her personality.

The rest of the weekend passed without much incident, until Monday Morning at Hogwarts. Daphne had received her copy of the Daily Prophet and had nearly spat out her morning pumpkin juice, as a horrified look at appeared on her face.

"What's up, Daphne?" asked Ginny.

"Yeah, did Voldemort strike with an attack?" asked Harry.

"Oh, I'd say he struck all right," answered Daphne with a slow nod of her head as Theodore, Ginny, and Harry leaned forward to get a better look at the paper.

_**Ministry of Magic Thrown into Chaos: Scrimgeour Vanishes**_

_On the heels of the escape of eight Death Eaters and one werewolf, another scandal has rocked the Wizarding World and the Ministry of Magic in particular. Despite their best efforts to cover his disappearance up as a vacation, word has reached the Dailey Prophet that Head of the Auror Department Rufus Scrimgeour has disappeared. Scrimgeour was last seen exiting the Ministry of Magic through the Floo Network. No one has seen or heard from the Head of the Auror office since then. _

_Perhaps the most perplexing fact of this case is that Scrimgeour appears to have never reached his home after leaving the Ministry. Extensive magical testing on his fireplace indicated that someone had last left the Scrimgeour residence early Thursday morning, at approximately seven in the morning. This piece of evidence raises more questions than gives answers. The Floo Regulation Department insists that the Floo Network has not been tampered with but the disappearance of yet another mystery official has the fingerprints of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named all over it. The Dailey Prophet will bring you more information as it comes to place but as of press time, the Auror Department is in a state of chaos. _

"Harry, I think I know why those particular eight Death Eaters were broken out of Azkaban," declared Theodore.

"That's great, Theodore, because quite frankly Ginny and I are at a loss," replied Harry.

"I just thought of something when they mentioned the Floo Network," replied Theodore. "Aberton, Rockforth, and Thaddeus, three of the Death Eaters that were broken out worked for the Floo Regulation Department in the Ministry before."

"You know, you might just be on to something," said Daphne thoughtfully. "Voldemort must have found a way to tamper with the Floo Network and kidnap people mid travel, but he needed the help of people who worked for the Floo Regulation Department to make it work."

Harry got up to his feet.

"I need to get to the Ministry right now, the entire Wizarding World might be in danger if Voldemort's found someway to abduct people in the midst of Floo travel," said Harry quickly and without another word, he activated his Portus-Amulet to take him straight to the Ministry.


	18. Chapter 18: Out In the Night

**Chapter Eighteen: Out in the Night**

To say the Ministry of Magic had a chaotic atmosphere at this moment would be a rather prominent understatement. The truth was many of the Ministry employees were running around in a state of confusion, with those who attempted to get a grip on the masses become frustrated in their own right. Most of this frustrated rested around the area of the Auror Department, as Scrimgeour had been missing for the last weekend. Despite their best efforts to keep it contained, word of Scrimgeour's untimely disappearance leaked out to the Daily Prophet.

Harry arrived at the Ministry right in the middle of all of the chaos as a Ministry official moved by, muttering underneath his breath.

"Third damn howler and the Daily Prophet's only been out for a couple of hours," said the official. "Don't they realize that there wasn't any way that we could have seen Scrimgeour getting snatched right out of the Floo like that?"

The official hurried off, arms full of paperwork, not bothering to acknowledge anyone as he made his way through the Ministry, blowing right past Harry as the Boy-Who-Lived made his way up the stairs to the Ministry, towards the office of Madam Bones.

As he arrived that level of the Ministry, Harry looked around, seeing many high ranking officials rushing away in a hurried, slightly panicked manner. Harry dodged around them, before reaching the half opened office door. Without a word, Harry knocked on the door.

"Enter," commanded the weary voice of Madam Bones and Harry did so, entering her office. "Ah, Mr. Potter, I suspected you have heard about the unfortunate disappearance of Auror Scrimgeour."

"Yes, me and the whole entire world, although I might have found out eventually without the help of the Daily Prophet," replied Harry. "Still, I found quite the interesting correlation between the recent Azkaban breakout and Scrimgeour's disappearance."

"A correlation?" asked Bones. "I must say, everyone else is baffled at why those particular Death Eaters were broken out of Azkaban, while others were left. Greyback is the easiest one to see, but the others…"

"At least two of them worked for the Regulation of the Floo Network and it's highly probable that the others have as well, as this does smell of a multi man job," interjected Harry. "If my theory is right, Voldemort's found someway to manipulate the Floo Network and the only way to stop this is to shut down the entire system."

"Stop the Floo Network, Mr. Potter, with all due respect, isn't that a bit drastic?" asked Madam Bones.

"Drastic yes, but if Voldemort starts snatching civilians from the Floo System in mid travel, the Ministry would look bad in retrospect, knowing they could have stopped these abductions," said Harry.

"If it was up to me, the Floo would have been shut down as soon as I left this office," replied Madam Bones in a resigned voice. "Unfortunately, Ministry protocol indicates that we have put a matter on the scale of shutting down the Floo Network, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or not, to a vote, and it has to be voted in by a majority for it to even happen."

Harry sighed; the Ministry's laws once again were their own worst enemy.

"Not to mention the fact that first and foremost, we need to declare an interim head of the Auror department," continued Madam Bones. "At best, it could be days or even weeks before I could even propose a drastic measure as shutting down the Floo System. Still, I will look into your theory about the Azkaban breakout and Scrimgeour being snatched from the Floo."

"Okay," said Harry calmly. "I have no doubt that that the Ministry has their hands full and at any rate, I need to get back to Hogwarts at any rate."

Madam Bones absentmindedly waved Harry off and Harry quickly departed, as the scene at the Ministry seemed to get more chaotic as more people filed in on all levels of the Ministry, as Harry moved his way outside to return to Hogwarts to make it back in time for his first class.

As it turned out the Ministry of Magic's troubles were only beginning, as on Thursday of that week, the Daily Prophet broke news of a potentially crippling event to the Magical World.

"In all the chaos, it appears the Ministry overlooked a clause in their peace agreement with the goblins after the last goblin rebellion," read Daphne as she turned through the Daily Prophet, as she, Theodore, Ginny, and Harry were eating breakfast. Hailey hadn't joined them this morning, as she was in the hospital wing after a practically rough Quidditch practice.

"Really?" asked Harry in a curious voice. "Exactly what did the Ministry do to break this clause?"

"It doesn't really say any specific details, other than goblin representatives were seen storming from the Ministry in irritation," replied Daphne.

"Irritated goblins, that's about all we need," commented Ginny. "The goblins aren't going to bend, not even a little."

"Who's to say this breach is minor as far as the goblins are concerned?" suggested Theodore.

"No breach of agreement is minor for goblins, Bill said that many human employees have been discharged from Gringotts for not following company policy laid down to the letter," answered Ginny.

"Goblins do leave no room for argument in their dealings, which is why there have been so many goblin rebellions," added Daphne.

"Do you really think there could be another goblin rebellion through?" asked Theodore.

"Could be, don't know what the goblins would have to gain as the Ministry is in shambles as it is with what's happened recently," replied Daphne. "I'm personally more worried about them joining Voldemort."

"Not all of them might," said Harry, interjecting himself. "Some will, hell perhaps a majority will if Voldemort chooses actions carefully regarding the goblins. Most are anti-human in general but for the right cause, goblins will form a temporarily alliance, but it will be shaky at best and there's always a chance that they will betray Voldemort before he has a chance to betray them.

"You've really thought this through, haven't you Harry?" asked Daphne.

"Of course," muttered Harry and he waved his wand to put up a privacy barrier. "Out of all the groups of magical creatures out there, the goblins are the best fighters. If I could find someway to get them on my side, on our side, I would, but the few attempts I have made with meeting them have been made with disinterest, saying that this is a human war and not their fight."

"Voldemort's killed goblins through," said Ginny.

"Yes, he's killed vampires, werewolves, giants, and many other magical races that have representatives that stand by him as well," replied Harry. "Let's just say that the Ministry aren't the only one's that have selective memory."

Harry sighed, it had been easy to get witches and wizards on his side, magical creatures were an entire matter entirely. Voldemort had wormed himself in well with many of them, forming alliances long before Harry was born. Harry didn't want to give up hope but Voldemort had said the right things long before it could be helped. Other magical creatures had chose to remain neutral, preferring not to join Voldemort or any group against him, including Harry, as much as it pained. Whenever he could, Harry tried to pursue any opportunities for alliances that he could manage, but at the same time, he wanted to coordinate the plans involving those who he was absolutely certain that were on his side, as Voldemort's attacks seemed to be growing in violence on each passing instance.

Daphne skimmed the paper for a few more seconds, before she reached an interested item.

"Scrimgeour's still missing, but they have announced a new interim head of the Auror Department,"

"Really who?" asked Harry curiously.

"Some bloke by the name of Pius Thicknesse," responded Daphne.

"Thicknesse, the name does ring a bell," muttered Ginny with a frown. "Dad mentioned him a couple of times, but if I remember rightly it wasn't in a favorable light."

"Wait, a minute, I know who you're talking about," said Theodore with sudden realization. "Thicknesse had some very controversial opinions during Voldemort's first reign of power."

Harry racked his brain, remembering something that he had read in passing on one occasion.

"Wasn't he the guy who said that the Ministry of Magic should find some common ground and perhaps align themselves with Voldemort, instead of fighting him?" inquired Harry.

"The very same guy, but from what I remember he backtracked on the statements rather quickly once he was questioned under the Wizengamot," explained Theodore who had overhead all of this from conversations between his father and friends in the past. "He's stayed in the Ministry, he spent quite a bit of time as an Auror before the scandal and his family has worked for the Ministry for generations, while maintaining a view that many of the older pureblood families do about how Wizarding Britain should be run."

"Seems like perfect death eater material to me or at the very least a Voldemort sympathizer," concluded Harry. "Not that I've heard his name come up as a potential Death Eater, but that doesn't mean anything. Voldemort has hundreds of Death Eaters, both here and abroad, and I've maybe only accounted for about fifty of them, maybe slightly less."

Harry lowered the privacy barrier around him as he saw an owl rapidly approaching, with a bit of last minute post. As the owl approached closer, Harry saw that it was a message from the Ministry of the Magic. The owl dropped the message down on the table, before flying off as quickly as it came.

"C'mon," muttered Harry, as he motioned for Daphne, Theodore, and Ginny to follow him from the Great Hall, away from prying eyes and Harry didn't even trust a privacy barrier to work in this situation.

After a little bit of a walk, the four Slytherins reached an empty class room. Harry locked the door, before putting silencing spells and a slight Confundus spell on the door. Without a second's pause, Harry ripped open the envelope, allowing the piece of parchment inside to fall out into his hands. Lifting it up close to his face, Harry began to read it to himself.

"What does it say, Harry?" asked Ginny.

"Speaking of Thicknesse, it's from him," answered Harry with a bit of a frown as he reread the letter. "He wants to meet with me about what I've been doing to help out the Ministry, to update him on anything new and to bring him completely up to speed. He says he's looking forward to the meeting and requests that I come at quarter till five tonight."

"That's a rather odd time for a meeting," replied Daphne.

"I don't like this Harry," said Ginny in a worried tone of voice. "This reeks of a trap. It also confirms that he might be in the league with Voldemort."

"I know," remarked Harry grimly. "It's a trap, a set up, and hence the reason I'm going alone."

"Harry, no!" yelled Ginny looking at her boyfriend with an absolutely mortified glance. "There could be more Death Eaters than even you can handle."

"Ginny, I need to maintain the illusion that I'm not wise to this latest plot," said Harry. "I have the Portus-Amulet, I can Apparate and if worse comes to worse, I can duck around a corner and turn into my raven form."

"See Ginny, Harry really does have everything planned out," said Daphne with a smile.

"Not that we would expect anything less," added Theodore.

"I still don't like this," said Ginny in a resigned voice.

"No more than I do, but it's necessary to lure Voldemort into a false sense of security and if I can by some miracle thin his forces by a few more, than that would be all the better," concluded Harry and for the briefest second, he turned as if to get Hermione's opinion, but then with a pang of painful realization that his best friend still wasn't speaking to him. Harry coughed, before shaking his head to clear it. "Don't think I won't be ready for anything."

"I trust you Harry, it's just everyone else that I'm worried about," said Ginny darkly.

That afternoon, literally just moments after his final class, Harry arrived at the Ministry of Magic, outside the visitor's entrance. He could have popped into the Ministry and right into Thicknesse's office, but if there was any trapped laid, it would defeat the entire purpose of playing along with Voldemort's plans. It was a drastic, nearly Gryffindor, measure for a Slytherin but it was absolutely necessary.

Harry looked around, as the cold breeze whipped around, and Harry spun around to hear a twig snapping under someone's foot in the distance. He pulled out his wand and his double-edge sword, ready for anything and anyone.

Leaves seemed to have crunched underneath someone's foot and Harry stood ready for action.

"Show yourself!" demanded Harry and surely enough, the very ragged form of one Fenrir Greyback stepped out of the shadows, with a sinister grin on his yellowed teeth.

"Harry, I must say this is an expected pleasure," remarked Greyback with a predatory smile as he stood, staring down Harry with a hungry look on his eyes.

"Okay, Greyback, where are the others?" asked Harry.

"What others, Harry?" responded Greyback sharply.

"The other Death Eaters," said Harry.

"There's no one here but me," stated Greyback.

"A bit foolish of Voldemort to send just one person after me, isn't it?" taunted Harry. "Perhaps he is losing his touch."

"Quite the opposite," said Greyback calmly. "Don't you realize what time of the month it is?"

Harry's eyes snapped up at Greyback, looking at him, as it was getting rather dark by the moment and the moon would be up at any moment, the full moon.

"Don't look so worried Harry, there's still a bit of time to get yourself to safety, far away from me, I certainly won't stop you," continued Greyback softly. "There are others within the Ministry that will have to substitute for my hunger for flesh instead."

Harry stood his ground as Greyback smirked.

"And your master authorized this plan, I take it," remarked Harry coolly.

"He told me to capture you, giving me Wolfsbane Potion to control my more animalistic urges," admitted Greyback. "Not that I bothered to take the potion, because I am fully comfortable of what I am, unlike that traitor, Lupin."

"What will happen if you go too far and maul me to death?" demanded Harry as he mentally made plans how to keep a fully transformed werewolf in line. "What will your master say?"

"I'll send him the scraps," rasped Greyback as the cloud cover vanished and the moon began to rise.

Harry leapt backwards, before shooting thick cords from wand at Greyback. They magically wrapped around the werewolf, binding his arms and legs together. It was only a temporarily measure as Greyback fell to the ground, before his body shifted, clothes ripping from the transformation and fur growing on his skin. In seconds, the werewolf used his strength to rip the ropes cleanly off him, before turning to face Harry and began to stalk his prey on all fours, before giving a mighty howl.

Greyback sprung up at Harry, jaw wide open and Harry only had enough time to dodge out of the way. Turning around, Harry turned around, seeing Greyback land firmly on his paws, before the beast turned around and Harry removed a three shuriken from his sleeve, before throwing them at Greyback from different angles. The werewolf angrily deflected two of them with his front paws but the third one stuck in the ground, before glowing brightly and exploding right at the werewolf, sending pieces of jagged metal flying towards the beast.

A moment's pause but Greyback sprang up after Harry. Harry cursed himself mentally; he hoped that some of the metal would cut his opponent and inject silver into his bloodstream. Contrary to Muggle folklore, silver wasn't completely lethal to a werewolf. Granted an extremely large amount was, but small amounts would only slow the werewolf down.

Greyback knocked Harry, before pinning his paws to Harry's throat, putting the Boy-Who-Lived on the ground. Harry gasped for air, reaching up with his weapon and attempted to stab it into the mouth of Greyback, but the werewolf had foreseen this, taking the sword into his mouth, before he broke it clearly in half with his massive jaws, before the sword clattered to the ground just beside the werewolf and his prey.

This was the diversion Harry needed to activate his Portus-Amulet and get to safety.

The werewolf's head snapped up in confusion once it realized its prey had disappeared and promptly gave a mad howl of anguish before it turned its attention towards the Ministry of Magic entrance. It smelled fresh blood from within.

Before Greyback could rip open the entrance and enter, a large burst of flames appeared from in front of the Ministry, blocking the beast's entrance. Greyback turned slowly, before he stared down with his prey, having returned from its temporary disappearance.

Harry aimed his wand carefully right between Greyback's eyes and conjured a razor sharp dagger, before sending it right at Greyback, but the werewolf leapt up out of the way before he sprang up right, jaw opened, right at Harry. Harry concentrated before turning into a raven and Greyback landed to the ground, sniffing around and pawed the ground angrily, ripping rocks from the ground. His prey had once again eluded him and the bird hovering above his head didn't seem like it would fill his appetite. The wolf hungered for human flesh and while the building behind him had an ample supply of edible flesh, he sensed something else off in the distance. Flesh that wasn't tainted by magic appeared to be near. While magical flesh tasted appetizing, the werewolf's system had more trouble digesting it than non-magical flesh.

Harry became alarmed when he saw that Greyback was heading right towards the nearby Muggle city. A werewolf running unchecked in a city could be a catastrophe of epic proportions so Harry had no choice but to follow the rogue werewolf into town.

The werewolf looked up at the moon, before howling as he entered the city. He sniffed around, before spotting a group of children playing happily in the distance. With a feral look, the werewolf moved towards the children, stalking them before he prepared to pounce.

A thick chain shot from Harry's wand, wrapping around the front legs of Greyback. Another chain whipped out, wrapping around the hind legs. Greyback moved forward angrily, but collapsed to the ground, legs trapped and the werewolf locked its eyes on its prey, before it howled madly.

Harry loaded up a Fukiya with a poison dart that was so potent that it would kill most normal humans, but he suspected it would just stop Greyback in his tracks.

The werewolf snapped the chains after a moment of struggling and went after Harry. Harry quickly blew the dart at the werewolf but in his haste, the dart had only sailed over Greyback's back. The werewolf gave a mighty howl and Harry leapt over, two parked cars, with Greyback matching the speed and agility of the young ninja. As he moved quickly, Harry managed to put up Muggle repelling charms across the entire street, before an idea reached his mind, one that he hoped would work.

The beast sniffed, he sensed his prey was rather close and looking up, his sight confirmed what his smell had told him. The form of Harry Potter was sitting in the seat of the empty taxi, hunched over, and looking rather worn down. The werewolf sprang up before shattering the windows and pinned Harry to the seat of the taxi. Harry struggled, but the werewolf would not be denied his flesh this time.

Greyback clamped down on the boy's right arm, but the boy in the seat exploded into dust, and the werewolf looked up in absolutely confusion, right before a large Muggle truck collided with the side for the taxi with Greyback still inside, causing the taxi to flip over several times across the street before the werewolf cold realize what had happened. The taxi skidded to the start right beside a light post, causing the light post to fall over and smash right onto the taxi.

The door of the truck swung open, revealing the real Harry Potter. Harry looked down, almost certain that move finished off the werewolf. The only spell he could have thought of that effected a werewolf was the Killing Curse and Harry wasn't quite ready to travel down that road yet, unless absolutely necessary. So since his regular weapons didn't work, Harry had to use bigger weapons to subdue Greyback.

Harry's glory was short lived as the bottom of the taxi ripped open and Greyback popped up, dripping blood but still alive and still with an obsessive taste for human flesh. The werewolf sprang out and Harry cursed himself. The only thing more dangerous than a vicious werewolf was an injured, vicious werewolf.

Harry felt panicked, a rare emotion for him and he raised his wand, but an idea struck Harry, hoping it would work. Just as the werewolf leapt, Harry conjured a large stream of liquefied silver before willing it towards Greyback just as the werewolf was inches away from his face. The silver completely covered Greyback, causing the werewolf to give a painful, anguished howl as he clattered to the ground. Before Greyback could work his way out of the silver, Harry whipped his wand, solidifying the silver, trapping Greyback.

Holding his breath, Harry heard frantic smashes from inside the silver structure, as the werewolf attempted to bust free, but Harry was pleasantly surprised to see that Greyback was unable to break free from his self contained prison. A few more pained growls and Greyback grew painfully quiet.

Harry looked around, before using his wand to clear up the mess he had made in his efforts to stop the werewolf, before he made his way to the Ministry. Admittedly he took his time, as he wanted to make sure that no one else had been following him just in case Greyback had failed. He hadn't seen anyone all night, but that meant very little. There could have been subtle spying spells, monitoring the conversation for afar.

Many hours later, nearly into the morning as the moon began to go down; Harry arrived at the Ministry of Magic, with the silver structure containing Greyback floating above his head. Most of the Ministry had been cleared out for the evening, but Harry occasionally saw a few Ministry officials roaming the corridors, but Harry paid them little mind whatsoever as he arrived at the office of Pius Thicknesse.

"Enter," rasped a voice from inside after Harry knocked and Harry entered the office, dragging Greyback behind him. "Ah, Mr. Potter, you've arrived."

"I do apologize for being late, I ran into some rather prominent difficulties on my way here," said Harry and Thicknesse looked at the silver object behind Harry.

"Might I ask what that is?" asked Thicknesse in a raspy voice as he looked over Harry's shoulder at the silver case.

"A gift for the Ministry, containing one of the most notorious fugitives, I'd suggest you'd send for people to help you open it, because I doubt one person could open it," answered Harry. "So, you wished to speak to me."

"Nevermind, Mr. Potter, I found the information I was looking for, you must have not received my message in time," said Thicknesse quickly, as he aimed his wand over his shoulder to call for some Aurors to help him open the case. "Perhaps you can explain to me a bit more about this little…gift."

"Well, it just so happens that tonight a werewolf by the name of Fenrir Greyback attempted to attack me," proclaimed Harry and Thicknesse looked at Harry with a searching look. "I was very lucky not to get infected, but in the end, Greyback was completely subdued by my magic."

"I see," replied Thicknesse in a completely skeptical voice and with that two Aurors entered the office, looking rather befuddled. "Help me crack this structure open, Mr. Potter here claims it contains Greyback."

The Aurors gingerly cracked the silver structure open with high frequency vibration spells as opposed to a Reducto, as they were prohibited from using lethal force unless being directly attacked. After several minutes of hard word, the case cracked open and the half transformed body of Greyback slumped to the ground. There were still fur on select places of his skin but he wasn't fully transformed anymore. He was covered in yellowed cuts that looked disgustedly infected.

"That's Greyback alright, man Potter, you really worked him over," informed one of the Aurors.

"He's injured, with trace amount of silver poisoning by the looks of things," continued the second Auror. "Damn lucky to be alive."

"Send him to St. Mungos so he could get treated and then back to Azkaban," ordered Thicknesse who looked a bit disturbed at Greyback's condition and the two Aurors did as they were instructed.

"What perplexes me the most is exactly how Greyback knew I was here tonight," said Harry casually.

"Yes, that thought is rather perplexing but what are you trying to suggest?" asked Thicknesse.

"Someone must have caught word of my meeting here and relayed the word to Voldemort," replied Harry. "Not on my end, but perhaps someone overheard something they shouldn't have. For all I know, there are leaks from within the Auror Department. I'll be watching everything rather closely."

"Of course, Mr. Potter," said Thicknesse, surveying Harry with slightly narrowed eyes.

"I must be going, it's been a long night," added Harry as he walked out. "I suspect we'll be meeting all too soon."

"I await it," responded Thicknesse with a nod.

Harry exited the office, with a searching glance towards the new Head of the Auror Department. Greyback attacking him on that night was premeditated from the moment he was broken out of Azkaban and Scrimgeour was abducted, then replaced. Hell, Harry wouldn't be surprised if Voldemort had been planning this for months on end.

Unfortunately, Harry had no concrete evidence other than his suspicions, suspicions that were formed by a number of strangely linked coincidences but still no solid evidence. At any rate, he would be keeping a close eye on Pius Thicknesse.


	19. Chapter 19: Time Ago

**Chapter Nineteen: Time Ago**

The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Quidditch teams were in the midst of a very intense Quidditch game, with the Hufflepuffs getting pummeled badly, thanks to the inept captaincy of Zacharias Smith, who seemed to not learn from his past mistakes against the Ravenclaw team. Last year, Hufflepuff only barely scratched out a victory against Ravenclaw barely, due to Hailey grabbing the Snitch when Ravenclaw was up by one hundred and forty points.

This time, Ravenclaw is ahead of Hufflepuff by one hundred points and Hufflepuff hadn't come close to gaining one goal.

"Swerve over there, spread out as far as possible!" barked Smith to the Chasers who looked disapproving but flew to the side.

"Don't you know anything about Quidditch!" yelled Hailey angrily as she swooped in. "Can't you see you're playing right into the Ravenclaw team's hands and leaving the team open for more goals?"

"Just go and do your job, Potter!" shouted Smith.

"Oh, I will, because it's quite obvious that you don't know how to do yours," replied Hailey, as she flew to the side to scan for the Snitch and sure enough, the game continued with Ravenclaw scoring three goals in relatively short time and Hailey glanced upwards, spotting the golden snitch.

She flew upwards arm reached forward, as Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker, spotted her and followed in pursuit.

"Potter's seen the Snitch, Potter's flying towards the Snitch, Chang's seen Potter going towards the Snitch," droned the commentator as Hailey came within inches but a Bludger was blasted in her pathway, causing her to lose her concentration and the Snitch vanished from sight in a matter of seconds.

Hailey looked around for the Snitch, breathing a sigh of relief when the Hufflepuff Keeper blocked the Quaffle and threw it back into the game but at that exact moment, Smith had ordered the Chasers to move slightly to the left, which allowed another Ravenclaw Chaser to grab onto the Quaffle and push it through, giving Ravenclaw another goal and pushing them ahead of one hundred and forty to nothing.

Hailey looked around, putting her head in her hands in disgust, shaking it from side to side before looking up just in time to see Smith get his hands on the Quaffle and one of the Ravenclaw Beaters exploded forward, before he whacked the Bludger right towards Smith with full intents of disarming him of the Quaffle.

Unfortunately for Smith and rather fortunate for the rest of the Hufflepuff Team, Smith was smashed right in the side of the head with the Bludger, causing him to lose his balance and his broom to spiral to the ground, before landing hard on the ground, knocked in a state of unconsciousness.

"Smith has been knocked out, this is bad," said the commentator in a monotone voice. "Oh no, they are calling for a timeout, Hufflepuff might need to forfeit the game."

Hailey swooped down first, with the other members of the Hufflepuff team following her, looking around in confusion.

"Looks like we're going to forfeit this game, if Smith's knocked out," said Hufflepuff Chaser, Elizabeth Martin in a fretful voice.

"Not that he does us much good if he is conscious, but he threatened to replace us if we deviated from his little game plan," answered Hufflepuff Chaser Brent Vine in a disgusted voice.

Madam Hooch swooped down as Smith was being tended to before being put on a stretcher and put back to the hospital wing.

"Resume play or forfeit?" asked Hooch.

"Resume play!" replied Hailey in a firm voice, causing the other members of the Hufflepuff Team to look at her with surprised looks. "Look, it's obvious our captain's knocked out, but that shouldn't cripple us too much and someone's got to take charge."

"Smith's not going to like this," said the Hufflepuff Keeper Gregory Quance in a skeptical voice.

"Look we can still win this game, but I need your help to keep the score gap below one hundred and fifty so I can get the Snitch," said Hailey in a calm voice before muttering. "Lanton and Edwards, do not let the Ravenclaw Chasers score no matter what. Hammer the Bludgers at them if they so much get their possession on the Quaffle."

The Beaters nodded.

"Work together and only separate when necessary to draw the other team's fire in the other direction," continued Hailey. "Work as a team, work as one, and we can do this."

"Are you certain you want to resume play?" questioned Hooch again.

"Absolutely!" chorused the remaining six members of the Hufflepuff Team in unison as they flew off into the air to resume play against Ravenclaw, despite the noticeable handicap of being down by one player.

"With Zacharias Smith knocked unconscious, Hufflepuff is down a player, and they have yet to score a point, but wait, Martin grabs the Quaffle and she flies, flies some more, Beaters on either side protect her from the attacks of the other beaters on the other team and she passes the Quaffle to Vine, no wait she doesn't, I mean she does and he aims the Quaffle before sending it through the hoop. The Quaffle flies, making it through, it's going, the Quaffle goes in, Hufflepuff scores, finally getting on the board."

That goal scored boosted the morale of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team a great deal and their spirits quickly lifted, scoring five more goals in successive, closing the gap slightly. Hailey spent a great deal of time, looking for the Snitch, rather than yelling complex orders and plays to her other teammates, a strategy that worked well, as the score gap was only by fifty points as Hailey spotted the golden snitch fluttering on the other side of one of the Ravenclaw Beaters.

Adjusting her flight, Hailey zoomed forwards, spotting yet another goal being scored by Hufflepuff out of the corner of her eye. Hailey skillfully dodged the Bludger that was aimed at her and in a flash, a Hufflepuff beater hammered the Bludger in the other direction, to stop Cho Chang from catching up to her. Not that it mattered as Hailey was nearly half of a field ahead of Cho. One of the chasers, in a last ditch effort, attempted to swerve in front of Hailey but she had seen that common cheap tactic coming a mile away and quickly flew to the other side, before spiraling around and she reached forward, clasping the snitch into hand.

"Hufflepuff beats Ravenclaw, winning the game, two hundred and fifty points to one hundred and forty," said the commentator. "Hufflepuff wins, they've beat Ravenclaw and move up second in the standings, just behind Slytherin."

Hailey flew down and seconds later, the other Hufflepuff team members joined her to celebrate the victory. She watched as Daphne, Theodore, Ginny, and Harry made their way out of the field, in between the crowd of Hufflepuffs as they congratulated Hailey on her quick thinking, which brought the Hufflepuff team up from the depths to defeat Ravenclaw.

"That was brilliant, Hailey, good flying," cheered Ginny.

"Yeah, pretty good, Ravenclaw is one of the toughest teams to beat, they have players on the team that have been there for four and even five years," added Theodore.

"It was rather fortunate you thought on your feet and dug yourselves out of the hole that Smith put you in," concluded Daphne.

Hailey turned to Harry to see what he thought but she was distracted by their mother running down from the stands.

"As a teacher I'm not to teach sides, but that was good Hailey," muttered Lily to her daughter but Hailey couldn't notice her mother looked a bit preoccupied for some reason.

"Oh no, they're going to mob me," muttered Hailey, as she saw a large group of Hufflepuffs moving their way, all looking happy at Hailey's victory and ready to congratulate the impromptu captain, who looked a bit overwhelmed at this over the top show of gratitude.

"Quick, grab on, I use the Portus-Amulet to get us to Mum's office," said Harry promptly and without another word, everyone gripped onto Harry as he activated his Portus-Amulet and drew them to Lily's office.

A second later, everyone readjusted their footing, before sitting down in chairs around the office, with Lily taking a seat behind her desk. Hailey looked out the window and saw storm clouds roll in.

"Good thing we wrapped up the game, looks like there's a brutal storm coming in," remarked Hailey before turning to her brother. "So what did you think of the game, Harry?"

"You were there, sis, you would know how it went better than anyone else," answered Harry crisply. "If you must know, you did a pretty decent job on there and your strategy worked well at catching Ravenclaw off guard. It might not work again though."

"Yes, but the point is it did work well this time," said Hailey.

"Hailey, it was good, don't worry about it," said Lily in an absent minded voice, as she stared out the window with a far off look.

"Lily, is there something wrong?" asked Ginny in a concerned voice.

"No, Ginny, I'm just thinking," replied Lily.

"About what," said Harry who also looked concerned and Hailey, Daphne, and Theodore looked at Lily curiously.

"This day is one that I wish I could forget, but I can't, it ways heavily on my mind, next to Halloween and the day that my parents were killed," said Lily. "Of course, I don't think anyone that's lived to tell the tale would forget the first time they've come face to face with him."

"Voldemort," suggested Harry darkly.

"Right," said Lily. "Twenty years ago, to the day, and I was very lucky, very lucky indeed to not have that day end in tragedy."

"Really, what happened?" asked Daphne curiously.

"Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning," stated Lily slowly, before she began to launch into the story.

_Sixteen year old Lily Evans yawned as she had exited her dormitory, a bit late in the morning. She had been up way past midnight, putting a few last minute finishing touches on her Potions and Defense essays that were due on Monday. She made her way down the stairs, looking around, the other girls in her dormitory having already obviously woken up and made their way down to breakfast. They were all to used to Lily's erratic sleep schedule and she had insisted to her friends._

_As she exited the common room, Lily spotted the Head Girl, Sophia Robbins, race down the hallway looking rather frantic, before skidding to a stop right by Lily. _

"_Thank goodness, I've found you Lily, I need your help, someone's been pranked really bad and I don't know what kind of charm work was used!" exclaimed Sophia without taking a breath._

"_Did you ask Professor Flitwick?" asked Lily grumpily. _

"_No, I can't find him anywhere, and the third year that was pranked was in very bad shape," said Sophia hysterically. "Please, Lily, I need your help."_

"_Lead the way," responded Lily in a resigned voice and the two girls moved quickly down the hallway, before reaching a corridor on the third floor, where a third year laid on the floor, with tentacles spouting out of his head and a bottle of shampoo was beating him over the head. Lily sighed before remarking in a sarcastic tone. "Wow, I wonder who did this!"_

"_Can you fix him?" prompted Sophia. _

"_Stand back," said Lily before she swished her wand and the tentacles disappeared as with the bottle of shampoo. The third year staggered to his feet, looking rather pale before vomiting all over the floor. _

_Lily stepped towards the doorway leading out of the corridor before she waved her wand. The doorway glowed an eerie blue and Lily quickly disabled the spells surrounding the doorway. _

"_It might be a good idea to take him up to the hospital wing," said Lily in a tone of forced calmness before she turned her back to walk towards the Great Hall. _

_Four sixth year Gryffindor boys chatted merrily at their house table. Over the past six years, they have been known infamously for their pranks and troublemaking in Hogwarts. Gryffindors found them rather amusing, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs also regarded them with amusement, providing that they were not the target of their pranks. Slytherins absolutely despised them with every fiber of their being. Teachers were frustrated with them, as they didn't seem to be bothered with detentions, they regarded them with mostly honor, especially two certain members. This group was called many names, a few of them not nice, but Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter referred to themselves for the most part as the Marauders. _

"_Nice day today," replied Sirius. "Think we should let Snivellus have it today. He's been glaring at us ever since…the incident last month."_

"_Sirius, that was completely your fault and you know it," answered James in an irritated voice. "That was very stupid of you, you could have gotten all of us, especially Remus in trouble. I don't like Snape as much as anyone, but that was over the line"_

"_It's not my fault he's a nosy, greasy git," said Sirius in a stubborn voice. _

"_Well, we're going to lay off Snape this year," repeated James in a stubborn voice. _

"_Yeah, besides, nothing could top Snape showing his greasy underpants to the world," piped up Peter in an excited voice. _

_Remus just sat there, quietly, wondering if he had reigned his friends in more closely, that near miss with Snape wouldn't have happened. _

"_Wormtail, you have an unhealthy obsession with Snivellus's underpants," said Sirius with a mischievous grin. "Sure there isn't something you'd like to tell us?"_

"_Padfoot, if anyone has the obsession with Snape, it's you, you're always the one talking about wanting to prank him," replied Peter. _

"_Okay that's enough out of both of you," said James sternly. "Let's talk about something else."_

"_Like the fact that Evans is coming right here and she doesn't look too happy," announced Sirius and sure enough, Lily walked towards the Gryffindor table, before standing in front of the Marauders, hands on her hips, with a dangerous glare in her emerald green eyes, but otherwise calm. _

"_Hello, Lily, my aren't you looking beautiful today," said James in an over the top enthusiastic voice but he quickly deflated when he saw Lily's glare intensify, before she placed a privacy barrier around the five. _

"_So, let me ask you something, Potter," prompted Lily. "Perhaps you'd like to tell me about the third floor corridor and about how an innocent third year got attacked by that prank that looked suspiciously like one that was meant for Snape."_

"_You tried to prank Snape, way to go, Prongs!" cheered Sirius. "About time you did something."_

"_I did no such thing, I wasn't even near that corridor," amended James in a frantic voice. "Lily, please, I don't know what you're talking about."_

"_Potter, the innocent act might work on every other girl in Hogwarts but it doesn't work on me," said Lily in an icily calm voice that made James flinch. "I have half the mind to throw you in detention or better yet, I should turn you into McGonagall."_

"_Lily, I haven't even tried to prank Snape all year, I've left him alone, this wasn't me, someone else did it," pleaded James. _

"_Fine, James, lie to me all you want," responded Lily and here she looked a bit disappointed, but at the same time resigned. "Just to think I was prepared to give you another chance this year."_

_Lily dropped the privacy barrier, before she walked off to join her friends at the other end of the table leaving James dumbstruck. _

"_Guys, seriously, I didn't do it, in fact, I don't think any of you did it," said James and the other three Marauders shook their heads. _

"_Believe me James, I would have done it, I would have taken full responsibility," said Sirius. _

"_That's not the point, the fact that an innocent person was caught in the crossfire is not good," replied James. "You know how Lily is; she's going to hate me."_

"_I doubt very much she hates you at all, she's just very annoyed with you, because she thinks you did it," said Remus wisely. "And let's face it; Lily knows your methods all too well."_

"_Moony, half of the school knows our methods all too well," said James before dawning in sudden realization. "Don't suppose someone could have tried to frame me?"_

"_Possible," admitted Remus. _

"_But why would someone want to do that?" wondered Peter. _

"_I don't know," said James in a frustrated voice, as he looked across the table towards Lily and the other sixth year girls. _

"_Lily, you look rather out of it," remarked a girl with long dirty blond hair and blue eyes, "You stormed off after talking with James Potter, did you two have another fight?"_

"_You could say that, Harmony," admitted Lily. _

"_What did he do this time?" asked Alexandra Morgan. _

"_Tried to prank Severus, failed and accidentally caught a poor third year, had to undo some charm work," answered Lily in a tired voice. _

"_It doesn't make any sense, though, he hasn't pranked Snape all year, why start now?" asked a round faced girl with dark hair. _

"_That we know of, Alice," said Alexandra. "There was that one incident with Snape that…"_

"_If it's the one you're talking about, that was Black's fault, Potter actually stopped Severus and may have saved his life," responded Lily. _

"_A shame really," muttered Alexandra under her breath. _

"_Alex, I know you don't trust Severus, but please lay off of him," said Lily. "Besides, he wouldn't have been the only one in danger, Remus would have…"_

_Lily stopped short, her friends didn't know about Remus's "furry little problem" yet and she felt it wasn't right to bring it up, as Remus had made her swear she wouldn't. During her second year, Lily had found out about Remus being a werewolf, as quite frankly he was the worst liar in the world. Lily was quite frankly surprised that more people hadn't caught on but she had covered for Remus several times and indirectly, much to her displeasure, the other three Marauders. _

"_What, what about Remus?" asked Harmony in a curious voice. _

"_It's nothing, don't worry about it," said Lily quickly before abruptly changing the subject. "Potter frustrates me, as I know he could be better, he's shown flashes of it before, but just when I think, he's changed, he does something stupid. I know he's intelligent but he doesn't act like it."_

"_It seems you care a little bit too much about this, Lily," suggested Alexandra. _

"_What are you trying to say, Alex?" challenged Lily as she took a swig of her pumpkin juice. _

"_Well, one might think that you fancy Potter," said Alexandra and this little proclamation caused Lily to spit her drink all over the table, causing a couple of fourth year girls to look over in disgust, before muttering. _

"_No, never, absolutely not," said Lily quickly before sighing. _

"_Not even a little bit," prodded Alice. _

"_Maybe," said Lily skeptically. "If he wasn't such a pompous git he might be actually charming, but his ego is a bit too much for me to swallow."_

"_He's matured a lot this year though," said Harmony. "Not that I'm trying to make up your mind or anything, that's up to you, Lily."_

_Lily just sat rather silently in thought, before she looked over in her bag which had a slight glow to get her attention. _

"_Duty calls?" asked Alexandra. _

"_Yes," remarked Lily dryly, wondering what they could want on a Saturday morning. _

"_If anyone asks, I'll cover for you," said Alexandra. _

"_Just use a different excuse this time, please," pleaded Lily. "The one last time had half of the girls at Hogwarts grilling me about my mysterious and exotic boyfriend. I couldn't get any homework done."_

"_Yes, but you do have to admit, the look on Potter's face was priceless when we used the foreign boyfriend excuse," said Alexandra as the other girls laughed as well and even Lily cracked a smile as she rose to her feet, before searching for an empty classroom. _

_When she reached one on the second floor, Lily looked from side to side, making sure that no one was watching, before she made her way into the classroom, shutting the door behind her. Without another word, Lily unzipped her bag, before removing a golden scroll wrapped around an old tattered sweater. She placed the scroll in front of her and swirling silvery writing began to appear on the scroll, allowing the sixteen year old witch to read it. _

_**Agent 05.22.01.14.19:**_

_**Kindly investigate strange fluctuations of unknown magic in the clearing beyond Hogsmeade Peak. Report back all findings as soon as possible**_

_**Sincerely**_

_**Super Agent 18.15.23.12.09.14.07.**_

_Lily read over her instructions a couple more times, before she placed the scroll carefully back into her bag. Quickly, she removed a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, before hastily scratching a note, to tell her friends where she went. Tapping her wand to the note, it was sent straight to the Great Hall. _

_About an hour later, Lily had snuck out of the school and quickly made her way to the area indicated in the message. __Right past Hogsmeade peak, Lily felt a sense of foreboding, by the atmosphere, but she pressed on nevertheless, reaching towards a gate. Behind the gate was a dark spiraling tower that seemed to extend past the clouds into the heavens and the air around completely reeked of dark magic. _

_Lily took a deep breath with having her wand out in front of her as she waved her wand and the gate creaked open, making a bit too much noise for her liking, prompting her to quickly put a muffling charm on the gate, before she made her way towards the front door. _

_Raising her wand, Lily prepared to open it but black mist blasted right from the door and that's the last thing she saw before everything went black. _

_Hours later, Lily began to stir, feeling a splitting headache coming on and her vision rather hazy. It took her moments to gain a sense that her limbs were bound to a wall. _

"_Excellent, you're awake," commented a calm voice from outside the room. _

"_Where am I?" demanded Lily. _

"_That's really none of your concern until the Master gets here, Mudblood," said the voice from the other end. "As you might have already suspected, this building was allowed to be detected."_

"_Yes, I did kind of figure that out when you knocked me unconscious," replied Lily moodily. _

"_Quite, this building normally cannot be detected by even the most sophisticated magical tracking, the Dark Lord has made sure of this," added the voice from outside the room. _

_Lily looked up, a rather horrified look crossing her face. Lord Voldemort was nearby or already here and to make matters worse, she was chained to a wall and didn't have her want with her. A large number of scenarios ran through her head, none of them pleasant at the very least. _

_It was breakfast on Sunday morning and the Marauders were making their way down to Breakfast. James began to deviate from the normal area where the Marauders sat. _

"_Hey, Prongs, where are you going?" questioned Sirius. _

"_I'm going to talk to Lily, she should have had time to cool down and listen to reason," responded James. _

"_Your funeral, mate," replied Sirius with an indifferent shrug as James walked off. Sirius turned to Remus and Peter. "Think we can give him some moral support."_

"_Depends, do you think you can not stick your foot in your mouth and make things worse," answered Peter calmly which Sirius just gave a mock glare. _

"_Yes, I suppose that might be a good idea," said Remus quickly and they followed James over to the other end of the Gryffindor table where Alice, Alexandra, and Harmony were sitting, looking a bit preoccupied with themselves. Alexandra looked up from her plate, to see James standing there. _

"_May we help you?" asked Alexandra coolly. _

"_I need to speak to Lily," responded James. "Have you seen her?"_

"_Lily, Lily," said Alexandra in a mock thoughtful voice. _

"_Yes, you know, beautiful girl, flowing dark red, auburnish hair, dazzling green eyes, your best friend," suggested James in an irritated voice. _

"_Object of James's undying obsession," added Sirius which caused James to glare at him. _

"_She's out for the weekend, actually I was hoping she would be back by now," said Alexandra in a fretful voice. _

"_Why did she leave for the weekend, though?" asked James in a frustrated voice. _

"_Sorry, can't say that, classified information," answered Alexandra. _

"_I'm sure she'll be back soon," said Alice, although there was a little bit of a worried tone in her voice._

_A bit of snickering was heard causing the Marauders to spin around, to see Sirius's younger brother, Regulus standing in the background, the fourth year looking rather pleased with himself. _

"_I know where she went, but it doesn't matter, as she'll never return," said Regulus in a smug voice which caused Sirius and James to go over to stare down Regulus. _

"_Tell us, now," demanded James as Sirius held his wand close to his brother's throat. _

"_She went to Hogsmeade Peak, actually an area a bit behind that," said Harmony in a calm voice which caused Alice and Alexandra to look at her with incredulous looks. _

"_Hogsmeade Peak, that's the highest mountain in Hogsmeade, right," said Sirius and James nodded slowly, as they didn't take their eyes off of the younger Black. _

"_Yes, Hogsmeade Peak, a romantic area," said Regulus in a mock sweet voice. "What lies beyond is not too romantic though?"_

"_What lies behind, Regulus?" asked Sirius. "You have three seconds to spill it, you little twerp."_

"_Don't you listen to Mother and Father before they disowned you?" replied Regulus smoothly. "The Dark Lord has been known to operate out of that area. Of course, the Mudblood wouldn't have been so reckless had she though you did that prank of mine yesterday, Potter and was a bit irritated with you."_

_James and Sirius looked absolutely horrified, before motioning for Remus and Peter to follow them, towards an unoccupied corridor on the second floor. _

"_Lily's been sent right into Voldemort," said James. _

"_We need to tell Dumbledore," suggested Peter. _

"_No, Lily will get in trouble, she might have not gotten permission to leave Hogwarts," said James quickly. "I need to get the cloak and the map, to get to the shortcut that will allow me to easily get to Hogsmeade peak."_

"_I'm coming too, James, I'm not letting you fight Voldemort by yourself," said Sirius. _

"_No, Sirius, it's a lot easier for me to get in and get Lily out alone, more people would attract too much attention," responded James in a firm voice. _

"_What if she's…" started Peter but James cut him off. _

"_No, she has to still be alive," answered James as he made his way up to Gryffindor dormitories quickly, there wasn't too much time to waste. _

_Time dragged by in an unbearabally slow matter as Lily attempted to free herself, but to her despair, the chains were magically reinforced and without her wand, she didn't have a hope of breaking free. _

_Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside as Lily made another desperate attempt to pull herself free but alas failed. The door swung open and revealed a tall imposing figure wearing a black hooded robe. Pale hands with long, nearly skeletal, fingers poked out from underneath the sleeves of the robes. _

_The hooded figure stooped down, giving Lily a good look at the face from beneath the hood. Lily shuddered involuntarily, as she took in the inhumane, waxy looking, face and slit like red eyes that showed no emotion whatsoever. This was a face of a monster, the face of the most feared dark wizard in quite some time, the face of Lord Voldemort. _

"_Ah, Lily Evans, I must say, I have been looking forward to meeting you for some time," said Voldemort in a calm, soft-spoken voice that caused the hairs on the back of Lily's neck to stand up and Voldemort reached down, stroking Lily's right cheek with one of his skeletal fingers. _

"_What do you want with me?" asked Lily in what she hoped was a calm, strong voice, but her tone was rather shaky. _

"_You fear me, child," hissed Voldemort coldly. "That's rather smart, showing your intelligence, many Gryffindors foolishly show no fear, unwilling to see what I can do with them, should they defy Lord Voldemort. Rest assured that you are safe, for the moment at least."_

_Voldemort stood back, surveying Lily with his slit like eyes, as if determining something. _

"_I sense great ambition, you work hard towards everything, yet you fell undervalued, your accomplishments fall by the wayside, while those who are less mature get acknowledged, get all the acclaim and the admiration, by making everyone laugh by frivolous pranks," said Voldemort. "Yes, Lily, I can see it in your eyes, you have a decent amount of power, but if you fall into the right crowd, you can be great, excellent, perhaps nearly as powerful as Lord Voldemort."_

"_I had heard your followers didn't like…my type," said Lily quickly. _

"_They can be persuaded to make an exception," answered Voldemort in a cold voice. "But, enough with the small talk, I am willing to offer you, Lily Evans, a spot in my Inner Circle, and power beyond your wildest imagination." _

_Lily closed her eyes, deep in thought. It sounded quite appealing but at the same time, she heard the types of things Death Eaters gotten up to and it sickened her. Yet, again, by joining Voldemort, perhaps she could salvage..._

_The door creaked open, and Voldemort spun around, but no one appeared to be there, at least visibly. A wave of the wand illuminated the area, revealing the sketchy outline of James Potter from beneath an invisibility cloak. _

_James stood there like a deer in the headlights, as Voldemort quickly summoned the Invisibility Cloak from James, before effortlessly pulling him towards the wall. A swish of his wrist caused chains to fly from the wall, shackling the hands and feet of James._

"_Ah, a Potter if I'm not mistaken," remarked Voldemort. "I daresay you know who I am."_

"_Yes," replied James in a scornful voice. _

"_Now, I must commend you on making it this far without raising any my traps or meeting any of my followers," said Voldemort as he picked up James's wand, which had fallen to the ground. "Dumb luck, maybe, but not anyone could have been this lucky and it shows a great deal of power. You would be well served in joining me, the both of you."_

_James was very close to open her mouth and Lily sensed he was about to reply with a comment that would kill them both, so she quickly talked over him. _

"_We'll consider it," said Lily quickly and James looked absolutely appalled and Voldemort waved his wand, to release the chains of both James and Lily, but before he could proceed much further, he felt the sensation of one of his Death Eaters calling him through their dark mark. _

"_I must attend to some urgent business, I shall return in a short time to receive your decisions," said Voldemort, taking both James's wand and cloak, exiting the room, with the door swinging shut, magically blocking entry or exit. _

"_I can't believe you would think of joining, Voldemort!" yelled James in an incredulous voice, as he stared in Lily's face, with a mixture of anger and betrayal. "You of all people, would be the last person I would ever think would join Voldemort, he represents everything that you're against or I thought you were against, but obviously I was…"_

"_James, listen to me," replied Lily in a firm voice. "It was obvious that I told Voldemort that so he would free us."_

_James stood there, silent. _

"_He's very powerful, he would have killed us in seconds, and that would be if we weren't chained to the wall," said Lily. "Not to mention the fact you didn't have a wand to defend yourself."_

_James nodded, as he thought about it, it did make sense, but unless Lily could pull some plan magically out of the air, they were stuck here until Voldemort got back and then the inevitable would happen. _

"_And another thing, what in the hell possessed you to come looking after me!" screamed Lily. "And how did you find out I was here anyway."_

"_Regulus Black, you know Sirius's brother, he bragged about you not coming back and your friends filled me in on where you went," said James quickly. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened yesterday…"_

"_Save it," answered Lily calmly. "I'm sorry, I overreacted, all right, I really didn't think it through, are you happy now?"_

"_Not particularly," said James. "Even if I didn't, it put you in danger and not to make you feel any worse, but Regulus pulled the prank in question."_

_Lily nodded, not really caring much about that right now. Right now, she concentrated to string together a workable plan to get both of them out of safety. _

"_We need to get out of here, get the wands and your Invisibility Cloak," muttered Lily under her breath. _

"_Great, the door's shut and we don't have any wands," said James. _

"_We don't need a wand, we just need to use wandless magic," said Lily quickly. "Visualizing wanting the door open, concentrating wanting the door open, should open it but I can't do it alone, I need your help."_

"_Okay," replied James. _

"_On the count of three, visualize the door springing open, forget that you don't have a wand, and it should work," continued Lily before taking a deep breath. "One, Two, Three."_

_It took a few seconds of intense concentration on the part of both teenagers, but the door swung open and James staggered forward, grabbing onto the wall. _

"_Are you okay?" asked Lily, not able to keep a tiny bit of concern from entering her tone. _

"_Fine, first time I've ever tried to do magic without a wand on purpose," grumbled James. _

"_Yes, it's always hard the first time, but let's go," said Lily quickly, beckoning James to come forward through the now opened door and into the long, winding corridor where there seemed to be dozens upon dozens of doorways and James looked around._

"_This isn't how it looked when I came through here," muttered James in a befuddled voice. _

"_That's what I was afraid of and our wands could be in any of these rooms, providing of course Voldemort didn't take them with him," answered Lily in a worried voice. _

_James remained silent and Lily screwed her eyes shut, knowing that it would take a great deal of wandless magic to summon their wands, but she had to try, the alternative wasn't exactly pretty. _

_Surely enough, just as Lily slumped against the wall, two wands and the Invisibility Cloak soared down the hallway, before stopping at their feet. James quickly bent down and grabbed both their wands, before handing Lily hers and taking his._

"_We better get under the cloak," stated James but an imposing figure appeared down the hallway._

"_Too late," said Lily as Voldemort stood right there, his wand extended. _

"_Did you really think you could escape me that easy?" hissed Voldemort calmly, staring down both Lily and James, causing the two teenagers to take a few steps backwards. "Still, I'll give you one more chance, to join me."_

_Lily looked upwards, seeing a heavy chandelier swinging above Voldemort's head and quickly used a slicing charm to disconnect it from the ceiling and a loud, inhumane shriek echoed throughout the halls._

"_The answer's no," replied Lily coolly as Voldemort seemed to be momentarily stalled, but magical smoke slowly began to billow from underneath the chandelier. _

"_You dropped a chandelier on the most feared Dark Lord in a century," remarked James in a partially awed, partially scared voice before the Chandelier broke into pieces and Voldemort rose up._

"_RUN!" yelled Lily, as she grabbed James by the hand before forcing him down the hallway and she saw Voldemort rushing towards them._

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!" yelled Voldemort but the Dark Lord was a little slow on the draw as Lily and James had already made their way around the corner into the next corridor. _

"_Did this part change, too?" inquired Lily._

"_Yes, nothing's the same than when I came through," confirmed James and Lily quickly swung the door shut, before sealing it shut. "I don't know how much good that's going to do, Voldemort's going to break through that in a minute."_

"_A minute's all we need," replied Lily, as she reached under the sleeve of her robe, before pulling out her bag, shrunken to microscopic levels. She tapped her wand to it, causing it to grow back to its normal size and Lily reached through, before pulling out the golden scroll and tapping her wand to it._

"_I don't know how that's going to help us," responded James, as Voldemort seemed to be breaking through Lily's charmwork. _

"_He has Anti-Apparation and Anti-Portkey wards, not to mention Anti-Animagus, around the majority of the building, but there is a way out, a flaw in the wards," said Lily quickly._

"_Better find it quick," replied James as the door began to crumble and Voldemort's face appeared on the crumbled doorframe as he ripped through. _

"_Run towards the wall and imagine yourself arriving safely in Hogsmeade…NOW!" yelled Lily and James seemed to find Lily's suggestion silly and a bit out there, but did as she requested and sure enough they vanished into thin air, just as Voldemort had made another attempt of offing them with the Killing Curse. _

_James fell down, they were right outside Honeydukes._

"_Congratulations James, you just successfully apparated," praised Lily and the look on James's face was absolutely priceless, when he realized what he had just done. _

"_Without a license, you actually encouraged me to break rules," responded James in an incredulous voice. "Aren't prefects supposed to follow the rules to the letter?"_

"_No, actually we aren't supposed to get caught," answered Lily with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Something that you don't have the proper grasp of, from the number of detentions that you received. Then again, we all must leave a legacy to Hogwarts"_

"_Beauty, brains, and a sense of humor, what else do you have up your sleeve, Lily?" demanded James. _

"_Hey, you're not too bad yourself, when you're not being a pompous, conceited, arrogant git and deliberately messing your hair up to the point it looks like you stuck your finger in a light socket," replied Lily. _

"_I'll take that as a compliment," remarked James cheekily. _

"_You would," answered Lily shaking her head, but a fond smile appeared on her face, something that James didn't see. "I suppose we better get back up to Hogwarts, it's been a long evening."_

"Did you tell anyone about the tower?" wondered Daphne.

"The strange thing I did relay word to my superiors but the next day when they went around to investigate it, it was gone, no doubt Voldemort was able to move it or as I found out, cloak it from all magical detection," responded Lily.

"You did really come around to the possibility of dating Dad during on that day," commented Hailey.

"Yes, he did mature a lot during his sixth year, by his seventh year he had rather calmed down his troublemaking ways, and we had to work together as Head Boy and Head Girl a lot, so we forged a friendship that obviously turned into more," answered Lily with a far off look in her eye and looked up at the clock, it was well into the afternoon and the others seemed to notice the amount of time that had passed.

"Let's head down to the kitchens for lunch," suggested Ginny.

"Yeah, I bet Dobby will be able to get us something to eat, he's always eager to help," added Harry.

"Yeah sometime's so eager, it's scary," commented Theodore.

"True, but let's go, I'm starving," concluded Hailey.


	20. Chapter 20: Date With Destruction

**Chapter Twenty: Date with Destruction:**

It was the day before break for the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which meant the annually pre-Christmas visit to Hogsmeade, a trip that many looked forward to, including Harry and Ginny who were going to have a nice, leisurely day to themselves in Hogsmeade as they rapidly approached the second anniversary of when they began to date, the same date that their bond had reached its final stage.

All of the students third year and above who were cleared to go to the village, with Filch and several Aurors checking to make sure no one who was not allowed out went out. This checking and double checking caused many to scoff about the extra security measures.

"I can't believe all these people are upset about these extra security measures," remarked Ginny as she spotted a group of fourth years look absolutely agitated

"I can, people have no patience, but there is several more Aurors in Hogsmeade and I'd like our day to go as smooth as possible, but of course the safety of everyone else is important as well" said Harry, as he took his girlfriend's hand and lead her outside, stopping only briefly to allow the Aurors to check them for any concealed dark objects and once they were cleared, they walked from the school down to Hogsmeade village. The weather was rather warm for the winter, an absolute beautiful day outside.

Little did the students know that two masked Death Eaters, outside of Hogsmeade watched as the students were preparing to enjoy this day.

"Foolish children, the Dark Lord will teach you to live with fear," remarked one of the Death Eaters in a harsh voice before turning to his partner. "Dolohov, let's release our little present into the village now."

"No, Aberine, we wait for the signal to the Dark Lord, this is after all a two pronged attack," admonished Dolohov in a harsh voice. "They would have been just leaving to draw the Aurors attention away from Hogsmeade right now. Besides, not all the students would have been into their Hogsmeade activities by now and the Dark Lord wants maximum damage."

Aberine nodded gruffly, as their plan was willing to spark fear and chaos within the Magical World.

Ginny and Harry arrived at the Three Broomsticks as several of the younger students waved at Harry, who had been rather helpful in helping them with the Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"You said you paid extra for a private room towards the back," muttered Ginny.

"Yeah, I didn't want to be bothered by a bunch of people and I figured you didn't either," said Harry.

"You know me all too well, Harry, those people trying to get information out of you about Voldemort can be rather tiresome at times," said Ginny with a sigh she followed Harry towards the back of the Three Broomsticks.

"Tell me about it," said Harry shaking his head in irritation. "Enough about him, though, this is our day to enjoy and be a pair of normal as possible teenagers. If I may, my dear."

"Yes, you may," giggled Ginny as the two Slytherins walked towards the back of the Three Broomsticks.

"Ah, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley," said Madam Rosmerta. "Everything is ready as Mr. Potter had paid for, including the added security to ensure that no one will bother you."

"Excellent," answered Harry as they walked into the room and shut the door behind them.

Back in the village, Lily leaned against the building of Hogsmeade, observing the surroundings in the village. As the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, she felt a certain responsibility to help with the defense of the village but so far it was rather quiet and quite peaceful. Lily had rather hoped that nothing would happen, for the sake of her son and his girlfriend, who wanted to enjoy a day to themselves and there were no two people that deserved a nice and peaceful day. Harry and Ginny both worked extremely hard in doing what they could to combat Voldemort's Death Eaters. Sadly, other then a few Death Eaters being captured or killed, Voldemort managed to stay a few steps ahead of Harry at nearly every point.

"Harry, that was great," said Ginny as the two had finished their meal which had been magically prepared for them. "It's too much though, you really didn't need to…"

"Yes I did, I feel I've been neglecting…." Started Harry.

"No, Harry, we've spent more time together then I could ever have hoped, and there will be plenty of time when you defeat Voldemort," said Ginny in a firm voice and Harry opened his mouth. "Harry, you will defeat Voldemort and I'll stand right beside you, doing what I can to help. I might not be as powerful as you are but I do try."

"The thing is Ginny, you are as great as me for one simple reason, the entire world doesn't have to rest on your shoulders and you could choose to ignore it, but you stand by me no matter what," said Harry. "For two years…hell since the moment we met, but ever since the Triwizard, you've put my needs ahead of your own."

Harry shook his head as Ginny placed her hand on Harry's shoulder, seeming to understand and slid herself onto Harry's lap.

"See this is the reason why the bond was formed in the first place, we both want to make each other have the happiest life possible," said Ginny, as she leaned her head on Harry's shoulder. "Not just for us, but everyone."

"Enough about this annoying Voldemort talk," muttered Harry. "I hoped that we could avoid it today."

"I know it's my fault, I kind of brought it up," replied Ginny.

"Let's just say we both did it and feel better," answered Harry. "I have a beautiful girl in my lap that I want to snog senseless, let's not spoil the moment."

Ginny responded by shifting herself just slightly, and wrapping her hands around Harry's neck, before leaning forward to kiss Harry, the only thing separating their bodies was their clothes. Harry readily returned the kiss, placing his hands on the back of Ginny's neck, massaging it lightly, any thought of Voldemort recoiling to the recesses of Harry Potter's mind for the time being. The two teenagers continued their fun, not aware of the passage of time, with the same limits that they had mutually agreed to some time ago, once they both found it necessary to have to share a bed to avoid horrific nightmares inspired by Voldemort. Granted those limits were bypassed a few times, but only with the proper magical precautions to ensure that there were no unintentional surprises.

"What do you mean, we all have to leave the village?" asked Nymphadora Tonks.

"You-Know-Who's followers are attacking a Muggle village just a bit east of here and he wants all Ministry Aurors on deck," replied Dawlish. "I'm just following orders, Nymphadora, no need to get testy with me."

"There are plenty of Aurors in the Ministry, even after that debacle at Diagon Alley where about eight of them received the Kiss, because no one thought it was wise for them learn the bloody Patronus Spell," retorted Tonks, who was quite glad that she had bothered to take the extra time to learn several other Defensive spells, even if she had to pay extra out of her own pocket and use her own free time to work with a freelance magical tutored. "Look, leaving Hogsmeade unprotected, especially during this weekend, doesn't seem right."

"Look, I'm your superior and you need to follow my orders to the letter, or I'll be forced to report you," said Dawlish. "The Portkey will activate in a minute."

"Good, you better catch it, because I'm staying right here," said Tonks in a stubborn voice.

"Women Aurors," grumbled Dawlish underneath his breath as he stormed off. "Doesn't help she was a Slytherin either."

Dawlish joined the majority of the Aurors, but to their credit, a few more Aurors other than Tonks decided to stick around.

"Dora, what's going on, why are most of the Aurors leaving?" asked Lily in a frantic voice, her attention having been drawn by the commotion.

"Attack on a Muggle village, for some reason Thicknesse wants every Auror to go battle Voldemort," explained Tonks.

Lily frowned, blinking in confusion.

"Something's not right, it seems like too much of a coincidence that an attack will happen right during Hogsmeade weekend that is intended to draw the Aurors away," responded Lily after a minute, just as most of the Aurors went off to fight Voldemort's Death Eaters.

Just then, Draco Malfoy came rushing up the path, looking around wildly before turning to Lily and Tonks.

"Professor, have you seen your son because I have something really important to tell him?" asked Draco.

"What is it, Mr. Malfoy?" asked Lily but she was broken up by loud screams as several students came running up the village and she saw large jets of fire flying in the distance.

"Mum," shouted Hailey as she stepped backwards, the sleeve of her robes looking rather tattered. "I don't know how to break this to you, but Inferi are attacking the village."

Lily looked absolutely horrified.

"Is this what you wanted to tell Harry?" questioned Tonks as she turned to Draco who nodded before stepping off.

"McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout are trying to get the younger students back up to the school, along with help from some of the older students, but the Inferi have scattered throughout the village and not everyone is accounted for" informed Hailey.

"Where's Harry and Ginny?" asked Lily who looked absolutely concerned.

"Daphne and Theodore are looking for them now," said Hailey who looked about as worried.

"Good, Hailey, help the Professors get the younger students evacuated and then get up to the school, where it's safe," ordered Lily.

"Mum!" whined Hailey. "I can stay and fight…"

"Hailey, that's an order!" snapped Lily and Hailey stomped off, kicking dirt in the air, before reluctantly doing what her mother had told her. "Dora, could you please take the other Aurors and see what we can do about getting these Inferi out of the village?"

Tonks nodded before wandering off, with the other Aurors following her, holding their wands ready to encounter the unknown at a moment's notice.

Back in the Three Broomsticks, Harry and Ginny broke apart abruptly at the sound of muffled shrieks coming from outside their private room.

Ginny pulled herself up, straightening up her clothes before pulling out her wand, with Harry doing the same, his hair more messy that usual.

"Something's out there?" whispered Ginny. "What do you think Harry?"

"It could be any number of things, none of them good," replied Harry as they moved cautiously towards the door at the sound of another scream and a trampling of foot steps from outside.

Before they could reach the door, a skeletal hand punched right through the wood, causing Ginny to instinctively leap backwards. Harry grabbed her hand reassuring, before raising his wand, as the figure on the outside attempted to rip inside.

In the blink of the eye, the door flung open and Harry leapt out, before jabbing his wand towards the door, causing the figure to be trapped down behind the door, as it was magically stuck to the wall.

"Inferius," muttered Harry darkly as Ginny stood behind him, before she pointed to another Inferius, who was stalking a third year girl, who had her legs trapped underneath a table and her wand out of reach.

"I'll help her, you distract the Inferius," suggested Ginny and Harry nodded, before using his wand to send a whip of fire right towards the Inferius, which caused it to spin around.

"Hey, death breath, come and get a piece of me," taunted Harry as the Inferius stalked him and Harry sent up another thick blast of fire, but the Inferius calmly side stepped it, which caused Harry a great deal of alarm, as normally Inferi should be absolutely terrified of fire.

The smell of rotting flesh filled Harry's nostril as the Inferius moved closer, almost completely decayed skin hanging to its flesh and maggots crawling around its eye sockets. The Inferius made a grab for Harry's throat, but Harry sprung up, before levitating a chair right towards the Inferius in an attempt to slow it down, while he decided to construct another plan of attack.

"C'mon, let's get that table off of you," said Ginny kindly to the girl, who looked absolutely petrified out of her mind, and the table was slowly levitated off of her legs.

"T-t-thanks," stammered the girl in a gracious, but shaky tone of voice, but she had a painful expression on her face, as her leg was severely cut from the jagged edges of the table.

"We need to get you to the hospital wing," said Ginny but she really was torn about taking the girl and leaving Harry. She knew what Harry would suggest.

"Ginny, thank goodness, there you are!" cried Daphne as she rushed into the door, with Theodore moving behind. "Inferi are all over the village, most of the Aurors are gone too, something about Voldemort engineering an attack."

"Where's Harry?" asked Theodore and Ginny pointed behind them, as Harry dodged the efforts of the Inferius he was fighting.

"Look, could you two get this girl up to the hospital wing, I need to help Harry, especially if more of those things come," said Ginny in a calm voice,.

"Will do," said Daphne as Theodore nodded calmly by her side.

"These two will help, don't worry, I need to go help my boyfriend, okay," informed Ginny to the girl.

"Yeah, thanks," said the girl as Daphne and Theodore assisted her to the hospital wing.

Harry ducked a charge from the Inferius and much to his horror, the Inferius that he had trapped against the wall had broken free from his containment and moved forward. The two Inferi stalked Harry on either side and Harry had a burst of inspiration. As they made a move to attack Harry, he shifted right into his raven animagus form, causing the two dark creatures to smack together.

Harry landed right next to Ginny and they seemed to have the same thought in mind, as they shot large rope like constructs of fire from their wands, which wrapped around the Inferi, causing the creatures to shriek out in inhumane pain as the magical fire burned into the animated corpses, but the fire disappeared, leaving the Inferi slightly burned but still willing to go on the attack.

"Now, what?" asked Ginny.

"Well, we know Inferi are strong, but not that bright and it looks like Voldemort has made some modifications to these creatures, making fire not a sure fire weapon against them" said Harry darkly, as he sprung up, before backing off the Inferi with a swing of fire.

Ginny leapt out of the way and managed to expertly duck out of the way of an Inferius attempting to bash her skull in, before jabbing her wand, causing the Inferi to be blasted back with a banishing charm, only a few feet.

"Well, the thing is, the fire did effect them a bit, but if we can only get them towards something a bit more flammable, it might have a more profound effect," suggested Ginny, as she shot a chain from her wand, which wrapped around the Inferius, but the Inferius used its strength. "If only what happened in Diagon Alley happened here…"

"No, I could set the entire Three Broomsticks on fire if that happened, too closed quarters," muttered Harry as he threw a shuriken with expert precision, but it didn't have much effect due to the fact the Inferi didn't have any blood to spill.

Ginny attempted to use fire, but the Inferius she was fighting grabbed her by the throat, and began pinning her against the table.

Harry leapt up over the Inferius he was fighting and sliced his weapon into the shoulder of the Inferius attempting to strangle Ginny, causing his arm to break off and fall backwards, allowing Ginny to barely manage to push the hand, which still attempted to strangle her when removed from the main Inferius. Before the disembodied arm could attack, Harry and Ginny both fired blasting curses to it, blasting the arm into dust.

"You see, we can't just back the Inferi off, we need to physically reduce them to dust to stop them from attacking," said Harry, and sure enough, the Inferi, one now minus an arm, advanced on Harry and Ginny.

"Firewhiskey!" yelled Ginny suddenly, as she avoided an attack, before managing to send one of the Inferi going into the wall.

"What?" asked Harry, as he somersaulted over the Inferius he was fighting, before conjuring a dagger and enchanting it before throwing it right into the chest of the Inferius. After a few seconds, it exploded in the Inferius, blowing a large hole into the chest of his opponent.

"A large quantity of it, is highly flammable, Fred and George told me they were experimenting with fireworks and one landed in a tankard of firewhiskey, which caused over half the shop to spontaneously combust," explained Ginny.

"Great, now all we need is some firewhiskey," answered Harry, as the Inferius with a hole in his chest made his way to it and Ginny nodded, before throwing herself behind the counter, as the Inferius attempted to smash his way towards her, but Ginny had decided to blow up the entire counter, sending jagged pieces of wood and porcelain flying in every which direction and in turn the Inferius went down.

"Harry, I've got it!" yelled Ginny triumphantly as she held up two bottles in her arms, as Harry leapt up before wrapping thick cords around the two Inferi, before he leapt beside Ginny.

"Good work!" praised Harry, kissing Ginny briefly, before he tapped the Firewhiskey bottles so they glowed a dark orange color. "Blast the windows!"

Ginny looked taken aback but she did as she was told, causing the windows to shatter.

Harry heaved the bottles right at the Inferi just as they leapt free and motioned for Ginny to follow him, in leaping quickly out the windows.

Seconds later, flames erupted from inside the Three Broomsticks and smoke billowed out the windows, as a large anguished shriek was heard from within the Three Broomsticks.

Harry and Ginny got up to their feet, before peaking into the Three Broomsticks where the walls were completely scorched and the tattered ashes of what were once Inferi.

Loud screams and the sounds of combat, along with several more blasts of fire came from around the village, as Hogsmeade appeared to be a virtual war zone.

"Of course, there would have to be more," said Harry moodily.

"More firewhiskey?" suggested Ginny and Harry nodded, as they disappeared into the Three Broomsticks.

"All the villagers are evacuated, along with all the shop owners," prompted Tonks as the other Aurors nodded.

"We managed to trap a few of the Inferi in that shop right there and surrounded it by fire," prompted one of the Aurors but a thunderous crunch echoed as the fire disappeared and the Inferi managed to make their way back to the village, as a group of fifth, sixth, and seventh year students made their way over, battling another group of Inferi.

"Everyone, focus, work together, it's the only way to beat them, a single spell from a single person just won't do," encouraged Luna, as she joined Susan Bones and Neville Longbottom in sending multiple jets of fire which backed off the Inferius that they were fighting.

"You know, we could really use Potter right about now," grunted Seamus Finnegan as he was smacked backwards by an Inferius that he was helping Parvati Patil and Dean Thomas fight.

"Yes, where is Harry, anyway?" wondered Neville as he managed to surprise himself by nearly slicing an Inferius in half, but the dark creature was rather persistent in its attempts to maim Neville.

"Harry was fighting a pair of Inferi in the Three Broomsticks with Ginny, the last time we saw him," informed Theodore, who had just rejoined the fight along with Daphne.

"And when was that?" asked Luna as she managed to back off the Inferius for a few seconds, to give her some breathing room, as a few other students had managed come in to join the fight, after helping the Aurors and Hogwarts professors make sure that no stragglers were left in the village.

"About twenty minutes ago," replied Theodore.

"What if something happened to them?" asked Luna in a worried voice.

"Don't worry, nothing would have happened to them, they're probably just trying to find a way to beat them" said Hailey, who had decided to sneak out of school to rejoin the fight, sending a light fire whip course to the Inferius. "Although what will it take to beat these things?"

"We found a weakness!" yelled Ginny as her and Harry made their way over, arms full of bottles of fire whiskey.

"Yes, my beautiful, intelligent girlfriend remembered that fire whiskey is extremely flammable and would blow the Inferi to ashes," yelled Harry, as he dodged a blow.

"Great," replied Ron in a dry voice. "Providing we can track down all the Inferi at once, and use these without setting us on fire as well.

"I've got an idea," suggested Daphne. "If we can find a way to lure them into the Shrieking Shack and throw all the bottles at once, before escaping through the Whomping Willow, we might have a chance."

"You know, that just might work," admitted Ginny. "Harry, what do you think?"

"It could work, Inferi aren't that bright so we need to simultaneously lure them through at the same time," said Harry before tapping his wand to his throat. "EVERYONE, THIS IS HARRY POTTER! IF YOU ARE FIGHTING INFERI, LURE THEM TOWARDS THE SHRIEKING SHACK!"

Harry leapt up, it was very difficult fighting in close quarters, as he didn't want to accidentally hit anyone, and several other students, teachers, and Aurors made their way over as the Inferi stalked them.

"Harry, there you are, thank heavens," said Lily. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, is that all of them Mum?" asked Harry.

"Yes, I think so," replied Lily quickly as she turned to others who nodded in confirmation as the Inferi stalked them.

"Someone get the door," said Ginny as she looked over her shoulder as they got closing to the entrance of the Shrieking Shack.

"Don't worry, I've got it," answered Luna in a reassuring voice, as she stuck her wand behind her back. "Alohomora."

The door swung open as everyone barely managed to squeeze through, with a few jets of fire keeping the Inferi at bay, long enough for everyone to get into the Shrieking Shack.

"The entrance to the shrieking shack is back this way, most of you need to go back that way, I need a few of you to help me and Ginny throw the bottles," said Harry in a firm voice and Tonks, Lily, McGonagall, Hailey, Daphne, Theodore, Luna, Neville, and to his credit, Ron had volunteered to stay behind, as Harry and Ginny quickly passed the bottles, as Flitwick and Sprout had ushered the others right through the tunnel.

"Now, we need move right through the doorway just as we throw the bottles," informed Ginny. "Otherwise we'll get blown to bits along with the Inferi."

"Here, they come," said Hailey as the Inferi pushed their way though the door into the Shrieking Shack.

"When I say now, throw the bottles and bolt right towards the door," said Harry quickly before looking around. "NOW!"

Almost a dozen firewhiskey bottles flew up into the air and just as they did, several individuals made their way out the door, managing to just squeeze though and shut the door just in time.

A series of loud explosions went off inside the Shrieking Shack and the group stepped backwards, before Harry cautiously opened the door, with the entire Shrieking Shack covered in ash and pieces of broken bottles, but all of the Inferi appeared to have been destroyed.

"Excellent work the both of you," praised Professor McGonagall as she looked at Harry and Ginny, with an impressed look etched on her face, which Harry admitted was rare for her. "Fifty points to Slytherin for your leadership skills."

"It was nothing Professor, it's quite fortunate that Ginny remembered something stupid that Fred and George did," said Harry modestly.

"Be that as it may, you both did well and to all the other students in the tunnel, thirty additional points will go to each house, for your aiming ability," continued McGonagall.

Back at the school, there were several curious students, mostly first and second years, but a few older years, who seemed to be badgering Harry about what had happened, singing his praises about single handily defeating an army of Inferi.

"For the final time, there were only twelve Inferi and I had help," hissed Harry underneath his breath.

"So let Harry eat in peace," said Ginny coolly, although there was an underlying irritation beneath her brown eyes that Harry could see and the younger students moved off, obviously sensing Ginny's forceful presence.

"We weren't that annoying when we were first years, were we?" asked Theodore.

"Harry was," said Daphne with a smirk.

"Quiet, you," said Harry but he had a bit of a smile, strained.

"It was a fun day, in a morbid twisted sense," replied Ginny, seeming to understand Harry's thoughts. "Plus, we can resume our date later tonight, in the privacy of the chambers underneath the Slytherin library."

"Dare I want to know what sort of deviance you two are up to?" asked Hailey who had joined them. "Do you have any idea what Voldemort did to those Inferi to make them like that?"

"Not a clue, sorry," replied Harry. "I did gather a sample of ash, so perhaps I can study it and get some answers over break."

"Harry, promise me you won't overwork yourself when you're supposed to be on break," said Ginny.

"Yes, dear, I promise," replied Harry. "I'll try not to anyway."

"Well as long as you make an effort," said Ginny, shaking her head, who knew that as long as Voldemort and come to think of it, Shredder, lived, Harry was going to keep overextending himself beyond the bonds of a normal person, but she would stand by him all the way while making an effort to make Harry to take it easy whenever possible.

The doors of the Great Hall burst open and Gwendolyn Myers, the school governor, made her way inside the Hall, with a self assured look on her face.

"Great, what does she want?" hissed Hailey.

"No doubt, going to tie the little Inferi incident with Malfoy," said Ginny. "Even though he tried to warn us about it, even if it was a little too late."

Harry shrugged as Myers walked over to the Slytherin table.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, I see you recognized me," said Myers in a slightly vindictive voice. "Perhaps you could explain to me what happened today in the village?"

"Inferi were released, by some of Lord Voldemort's followers I suspect, and thanks to the help of several brave people, I managed to play a part in vanquishing the threat," responded Harry calmly.

"Yes, you might say that happened," admitted Myers. "But I'm rather curious that Draco Malfoy, someone who you had vouched for, seemed to know an awful lot about the attack before it happened."

"You know, you really don't remember too much about Hogwarts, do you?" asked Harry. "Rumors tend to spread, in different directions and reach different people at different times. Some more serious than others, and I believe that Malfoy believed that this was serious enough to pass it on to me, which in turn he proved to be right."

"You know much more then you're letting on Potter and as a Governor, I cannot permit you to endanger the students with your twisted games," whispered Myers.

"Well that's too bad, isn't because Harry's done more for this school than the Board of Governors ever did," piped up Hailey in a stubborn voice.

"Quiet, girl, I wasn't speaking to you," replied Myers. "Of course, you're related to a Slytherin, so perhaps I can't expect you to see.."

"Look, there were a few minor injures today, but everyone was very lucky," said Harry patiently. "If you want to yell at someone, yell at the Ministry who decided to attempt to pull all of the Aurors from Hogsmeade, living the village in the hands of the teachers, underage students, and a few Aurors who chose to do what was right instead of listening to the Ministry. I've had to put out my fair share of fires, caused by the incompetence of past regimes, whether it be Dementors, Umbridge, Death Eaters invading Hogwarts with full sanction of the Ministry, and today's little incident with the Inferi. So, don't you dare tell me that I don't care about the safety of the students."

"This isn't over, Potter," replied Myers.

"No, I daresay it isn't," said Harry. "Good night to you."

Myers walked out just as Lily walked over.

"Harry, she's in my office, she wants to speak to you," muttered Lily in an undertone and both Harry and Ginny knew that Lily was speaking about Tonks and they followed Lily up to her office, the walk seemed to be a short time, as Harry had privately wondered if he was playing a very dangerous game in pretending to trust Malfoy to get an idea of what Voldemort was up to. It wasn't like they were getting too far anyway, just a few low level Death Eaters captured here and there.

As they entered Lily's office, Tonks was already sitting on a chair, looking rather tired.

"You wanted to speak to me, Tonks?" questioned Harry.

"Ah, yes I did, Harry, you know that attack that required all the Aurors," said Tonks with a slightly disdainful voice. "Well, there were only twenty Death Eaters attacking that village and well, if you do the math, there are three hundred Aurors employed, and seventy were currently on shift other than the one's guarding Hogsmeade."

"This suggests one of two things, Thicknesse has a remarkably low opinion of the skills of the Ministry of Magic Aurors," suggested Harry.

"With some of the Aurors, yes, I do wonder, but given seventy to twenty odds, the Death Eaters would have been overwhelmed," said Tonks.

"Or, Thicknesse purposely attempted to divert the Aurors away, because he knew the Inferi were going to attack," said Harry. "Which gives some rather unfortunate support to my Pius Thicknesse is a follower of Voldemort theory or at the very least of a sympathizer."

"Yeah, are you going to do anything about it, Harry?" asked Tonks.

"At this point, I'm not quite sure what we can do to be honest with you," replied Harry. "Scrimgeour disappeared, Moody's retired, those two are the only people who could run an effective Auror Department with Thicknesse a distant third. There are some promising Aurors, but the problem is, a lot of experience would be needed and Aurors don't have an exact long lifespan."

"Right, looks like a stuck with Thicknesse, who wasn't too happy with me or the others who stuck around to help, I'm on probation," replied Tonks before raising her hand. "Look Harry, I'm not mad at you for anything, hell, you didn't twist my arm to stay and wouldn't have anyway. If you didn't need spies within the Ministry, I would have quit on the spot."

"Thanks, Tonks, I'm sure Harry really appreciates your dedication, I know I do," answered Ginny.

"Yes, I do," said Harry. "We're just very lucky no one was maimed fatally."

"That's always a victory within itself, but I do wonder why he would send Inferi, instead of Death Eaters," retorted Tonks thoughtfully.

"Theories I have, but I'll be happy to speculate further once I analyze the ash, because this batch seemed to be particularly durable," said Harry.

"That they did," said Tonks. "I've got to get going, early morning tomorrow you see."

Harry and Ginny waved goodbye as Tonks made her way from the office.

"Mum, our date was cut a little short today, so…" started Harry.

"I understand perfectly," replied Lily with a smile. "Good night, Harry, Ginny."

The two teenagers left to make their way to the Slytherin library to enjoy a nice, peaceful evening together, before heading off to bed.

Draco Malfoy walked into the Dark Lord's throne room deep underneath Salazar Tower, a bit worse from where. Snape had given Draco permission to leave the grounds early to give his report on what had happened in Hogsmeade from his perspective.

"My lord," stated Draco, as he kneeled before the Dark Lord, as he sat above the young Malfoy heir.

"To your feet, young Draco," replied Voldemort. "I must register some deal of surprise that my attack of Hogsmeade yielded no causalities."

"My lord, Potter found a way to defeat your enhanced Inferi," confirmed Draco.

"He found a way to beat a dozen of my enhanced Inferi, Draco, a crude way that could have gotten himself and his friends killed," hissed Voldemort. "Dolohov has informed me, he watched the festivities from a safe distance under an Invisibility Cloak, but it matters little. It was merely a test."

"A test, my lord?" inquired Draco.

"Do not concern yourself with my work Draco, rather remember that I have given you a mission that Harry Potter is to be dead by your wand by the end of the year," answered Voldemort.

"I'm working on it, my lord, I've been observing him closely whenever I can, attempting to find possible weaknesses that I can exploit," said Draco quickly.

"Do not scout too far longer Draco, remember the plan that you presented to me requires little room for error," said Voldemort softly. "Remember your father, Draco."

"Of course," responded Draco as he bowed to Voldemort.

"Excellent, you may take your leave," hissed Voldemort coldly and Draco walked off, as Voldemort watched Draco leave.

Soon Draco Malfoy would outlive his usefulness and Lucius would understand the full consequences for failing Lord Voldemort.


	21. Chapter 21: Time Flies

**Chapter Twenty One: Time Flies**

Harry Potter had returned to New York for roughly an hour and all ready the Boy-Who-Lived had already attracted unwarranted trouble.

Namely, another mysterious assassin had attacked him, the fifth one in many months. An assassin that was rather tough to take down, due to his massive girth and large build. The assassin swung a large iron mace with relative ease, but Harry leapt up out of the way, allowing the mace to impact the pavement, driving a large hole into it.

"You're not as tough as my employer would have allowed me to believe," grunted Harry's attacker. "In fact, you are nothing but a puny little weakling."

Another swing of the mace and Harry somersaulted underneath before striking his foe in the back with both feet, but this only caused him to move a step before he swung around, cracking Harry in the face, nearly knocking him unconscious with one punch. Harry pulled himself up and found himself grabbed around the head, with the man attempting to unscrew it like a bottle cap.

Harry leaned forward, the warrior had made a small mistake, having left his weapon within Harry's reach, while attempting to injure him with his bare hands. Harry reached forward, grabbing the mace, before he summoned all of his strength. The mace swung upwards, cracking the large mercenary in the chest.

Harry's adversary let go of him, staggering backwards, which allowed Harry to throw a Kusari-Gama chain around his opponent, wrapping his overly inflated arms behind his back. The mercenary struggled for the briefest of moments, before he snapped the chain effortlessly with his arms and charged Harry, who leapt over his attack and leapt up. A kick cracked the mercenary right in the face, dropping him just barely to one knee. Harry aimed another vicious kick but the mercenary grabbed his leg, before it was roughly pushed back. A wince was heard as Harry felt his leg crack underneath the impact and the attacker prepared to stomp his face in, but Harry put his hands up, grabbing onto the foot.

"Foolish imp, your might is not large enough to block the inevitable," grunted the attacker, but Harry with a magically induced burst of strength pushed his foe backwards, causing him to stagger back.

Harry pulled himself to his feet, wincing as he limped slightly, from the tell tale signs of an injured ankle. The large mercenary was not done and rushed forward, but Harry managed to grit his teeth and leap over the attack, landing roughly on his injured ankle and turned around, right into the large man doing an uncharacteristic somersault, before Harry found himself struck in the chest with a leg which caused Harry to crumple in a heap and the large mercenary cracked his knuckles, before picking Harry up by his shirt and then casually throwing him to the ground.

Harry struggled back to his feet, before removing his wand from his sleeve and as his attacker charged him, Harry waved his wand. A rock wall burst up out of the ground and the assassin struck shoulder on with the wall, causing the wall to slightly to crumble but the attacker to also drop to the ground.

"Now, who are you working for?" questioned Harry but the mercenary still had some fight left deep down inside, as he pulled himself up and cracked Harry in the face with the hardest punch he could manage.

Harry dropped like a sack of potatoes, completely loopy and only barely aware of the surroundings away, as the assassin bent down, before he hoisted Harry up to a half standing position, before bringing Harry a couple more feet off the ground.

"A valiant fight, for a weakling, but now I must break you," growled the mercenary.

"Time's up," hissed the voice in the mercenary's voice.

"No, this is my meat, I will finish it," argued the mercenary.

"The boy is mine, you are just testing his abilities, like the others," replied the voice in his air in a bored manner.

The assassin prepared to disagree, but a large burst of energy shocked him, forcing him to drop Harry to the ground. Harry landed on the ground with a thud and the mercenary had been pulled into thin air, vanishing from sight.

As he clutched his head, Harry pulled himself to his feet, feeling rather dazed and confused, before he tapped his wand to his Portus-Amulet transporting himself back home, because he wouldn't have been surprised if he would have gotten a concussion from getting hit so hard in the head from that mercenary.

"Thankfully Harry, no, it's just some facial bruising and contusions, but you were very lucky that you didn't crack your orbital socket or suffer a concussion," explained Lily, as she had finished scanning Harry. "It should be easy enough to heal, much like your ankle, with only a black eye for a few days."

Harry nodded calmly, but he was going over something in this mind.

"Five mercenaries have attacked me, but no two mercenaries have the same attack methods that have attacked me, not even slight similarities," commented Harry as Lily waved her wand to fix her son's face.

"That's actually very peculiar," interjected Hailey who came into the room. "I think we've pretty much agreed that Voldemort is behind this."

"That much is obvious, especially since they keep disappearing by magic after a certain amount of time," said Harry.

"Well maybe he's trying to scout how you react to different fighting styles," suggested Hailey.

"No, I don't believe it, Voldemort's ultimately against anything Muggle-oriented, he would think that any magic was superior to even the most sophisticated fighting styles," said Harry shaking off his sister's theory. "

"Okay, it was just a suggestion," retorted Hailey with a shrug. "We could go with my other theory."

"And that is?" inquired Harry.

"Voldemort hates your guts and wants to make your life a living hell for no other reason other than he is a bitter arsehole because he failed to kill you so many times but yet, his ego demands that he is the only one to kill you and he makes sure these mercenaries don't finish the job," answered Hailey.

"Yes, that one does make a bit more sense with the Voldemort we know, the one who despises all things Muggle," said Harry.

"Why the alliance with the Foot, then?" asked Lily, as she had finished fixing up Harry. "Voldemort making an alliance with them didn't make too much sense either, but it did get several of his followers broken out of Azkaban last year, so perhaps…"

"Saki obviously has something that Voldemort wants and I doubt Saki would make an alliance either if he didn't find it beneficial," said Harry dismissively. "Now that I'm fine, I'm going to go check in with the guys in the lair, I haven't had a chance to touch base in several weeks."

"Okay, just be careful this time Harry," replied Lily.

"I'm always careful," answered Harry.

"Yeah, Mum, it's not like Harry's asking all of these people to attack him," remarked Hailey with a cheeky grin.

"I'll be back in an hour or two," added Harry, as an afterthought as he made his way from the Potter residence to take a short trip to the warehouse to make his way to the sewers.

In the lair, Leo ducked a swing from Mikey's nunchucks, springing up before coming down behind his brother.

"Michelangelo, do focus, you are allowing Leonardo to get inside your head," commanded Master Splinter as he watched the sparring session from above.

"Yeah, c'mon Mikey, as you've put it so many times, you are the Battle Nexus Champion," replied Leo as attempted to spring up to disarm Mikey but Mikey managed to find the ability to dodge Leo's blows, before using his agility to spring up and wrap his weapon around one of Leo's katana, before yanking it from

"Leo, don't encourage him?" hissed Raph as he jabbed his sai towards Don's bo staff, but Don casually blocked the attack. Raph attempted to disarm Don, but Don moved his weapon slightly over, causing Raph to tumble, before casually stepping to the side. Raph rushed over, and Don stepped to the side again, before holding his bo outwards, to block Raph's attack, which rather frustrated the hot tempered terrapin to no end.

"My attack too cerebral for you, Raph?" asked Don.

"What attack?" challenged Raph, as Don stepped to the side, causing Raph to nearly trip, before he swept in and jabbed his bo, knocking Raph's sais to the side. Raph looked up, before making a go for his weapon, but Don leapt in front of him, before whacking his bo into the ground, preventing Raph for formulating an attack.

Leo, now aimed with one katana, had continued his fight with Mikey, who had wrapped his nunchucks around the other katana. A brief struggle, but Mikey leapt up, swinging around Leo, before the katana pulled from Leo's hand. Mikey raised up his hands triumphantly and just a bit prematurely, as Leo gracefully backflipped over his second youngest brother, before grabbing Mikey by the facemask and flipping him to the ground, before pinning him to the ground with his own weapons.

"Okay, okay, Leo, you win," said Mikey frantically, as he was caught by surprise by Leo managing to take him down gracefully without any weapons.

Meanwhile Raph made a movement for his weapons, but Don leapt up. In a blink of an eye, Don stuck his bo staff in Raph's path. Raph's impulsiveness did not allow him enough time to put the breaks on and as a result, the bo staff tripped him up, causing Raph to spiral to the ground, his shell breaking his fall.

"I believe I've won this round," declared Don.

"Yes, I believe this was an excellent round of sparring," interjected Master Splinter. "I must meditate on your improvement, I will return in a moment with my advice."

Master Splinter walked off and entered his room, leaving the four Turtles alone to discuss their progress.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I should have saw your attempts to trip me up coming," replied Raph. "But my temper got the better of me."

"Wow, could it be that Raph's learning?" asked Mikey cheekily which earned him a stiff slap to the back of the head from Raph.

"Stuff it Mikey," grumbled Raph and just then, a creek echoed from outside the lair, before black smoke billowed from the lair, causing the four Turtles to look around, before they picked up their weapons.

The smoke cleared seconds later, revealing an ominous figure in black robes, with a hood pulled over his face, staring down the Turtles.

"How did you get into our lair?" demanded Leo in a commanding voice.

"I am here to look for a challenge," responded the figure in an icy tone.

"You looking for a challenge, well you've got for of them right here for sneaking into our home," responded Raph, he prepared to leap up but Leo grabbed his arm.

"Fight as one," replied Leo.

"Yeah, the four of us should be able to take this joker," said Mikey in a confident voice as the hooded figure quickly swept in and leapt up over the attempted attacks as they all charged him. Quickly, he grabbed Mikey by the arm and swung him around, before throwing him to the ground. Leo was next to attack, but the attacker dodged behind Leo, before kicking his legs out from underneath him.

The attacker removed a wooden staff and a Kusari-Gama chain in the confusion and Raph raised his sais but this naturally didn't work as the attacker flung the chain outwards, causing it to spiral around the weapons of Raph, before they were pulled from his grasp and the attacker whipped his chain, causing the sais to fly backwards to Raph, knocking him off balance

The attacker then turned to Don and Don extended his bo staff outwards to block an expected blow but the attacker stopped short, before looking at Don with amusement, before beckoning for Don to attack.

Mikey leapt up, attempting to catch the hooded attacker off guard with a well placed swing of his nunchucks, but the hooded figure stooped down and Mikey smacked into Don, knocking him out of the attack, before Mikey was grabbed from behind, and flipped into Raph, who had just risen back to a standing position. The two turtles smacked together, thumping right down to the ground.

Leo looked around, it appeared that he was the only one left as the other three have been knocked down and the hooded attacker rushed forward. As he leapt up, he removed the staff, twirling it, but Leo sliced the weapon in half with his katana. Leo moved in and jabbed his katana to disable his opponent, but the hooded figure dodged, before quickly spinning around Leo, before Leo found himself caught off guard as his katana were removed from his grasp.

A leaping kick right to the face knocked Leo backwards and the hooded figure leapt up, gracefully propelling himself over Leo and Leo turned around, right into a somersault twisted into a double chest kick. Leo crashed to the ground as the attacker stood over the battered forms of the four Turtles.

"Stop," replied Master Splinter as he moved over, staring right at the hooded figure before the figure bowed and Master Splinter responded with a bow of his own.

"I think we should let them in on the secret Master Splinter," remarked the hooded figure.

"Yes, I must say, your suggestion to accurately test their abilities panned out rather well," answered Master Splinter and the hood was pulled down, to reveal the smug face of Harry Potter.

"Jeez, Harry, did you have to knock us around and not warn us it was you?" grumbled Raph.

"Hello, to you to Raph," answered Harry. "Actually this had two purposes. Number one was to give you four an unexpected test to properly evaluate your skills and plus, it was as much as a task to keep my skills sharp, as you four might have subconsciously held back if you realized it was me. Still, I must admit, I was expecting a bit more of a fight."

"Well to be fair, we were just done with an intense sparring session," said Leo.

"Yes, well an attack can come at any time," retorted Harry. "What if it had been the Foot for example?"

The Turtles shuddered at the thought.

"So, exactly how has everything been around here since I was last here?" asked Harry.

"More of the same, we still need to keep a low profile as the news is going on about, and I quote, terrorist giant turtles," answered Mikey. "The stories have been fewer and further between in the last week or so."

"Yeah but we still have to here about the Shredder's humanitarian efforts," replied Raph. "When will the people in this city wise up and see the Shredder for what exactly he is?"

"Raphael, I daresay that might happen in time, but I do hope that it does happen before it's too late," answered Master Splinter, as the aged rat leaned calmly on his walking stick. "So, Harry, that is essentially all that has happened around here lately, would you kindly enlighten us on what has been happening with you lately."

With that, Harry launched into a narrative of the highlights of the past couple of months of his life.

Out in the streets some time later an alarm went off and two hoodlums ran down the street, their arms full of stolen loot.

"Did you see that guy cower in fear when I threatened to club his head in?" taunted one of the thugs.

"Yeah, that was great, but we've got the stuff," answered the second hoodlum as the manhole of the sewer pushed off and Harry Potter pulled himself up.

"Didn't your mothers tell you that stealing is wrong?" asked Harry in a calm voice.

"No, but yours screamed real well last night," replied one of the hoodlum, before both of the hoodlums laughed but their mirth was short lived.

Harry leapt up, ready for the attack, before grabbing one of the hoodlums and threw him to the ground with ease before stalking the other hoodlum.

"Get away from me man," stammered the second thief. "We were only kidding, can't you take a joke?"

Harry took other step forward and the thief pulled out a crowbar, swinging it towards Harry, but Harry blocked it with his blade. Another attack broke the crowbar in half and Harry prepared to finish off the thief.

The other hoodlum pulled out a tire iron before clubbing Harry from behind. Harry was only taken out for a few seconds, but this allowed the hoodlums to rush off as fast as their feet could carry them.

"You're not getting away that easily," muttered Harry as he rolled over, pulling himself up and following in pursuit.

"Is that punk still after us?" questioned one of the hoodlums.

"Yes," answered the other hoodlum in a fearful voice but they were stopped in their tracks when a clock flew from above them and landed on the ground. The clock blew a large hole right in the pavement on impact.

"Foolish, vandals, no criminals will be safe from the King of the Clock Tower, the Sensei of Seconds, the Master of Minutes, the Honor Guard of Hours, the Dean of Days, the Warrior of Weeks, the Tyrant of Time, Chronos!" chanted the figure from above and sure enough it was everyone's favorite clock obsessed nutcase, Chronos, hovering above them with the assistance of a jetpack device.

One of the hoodlums ran off in another direction and the other one stopped, but Chronos pointed his wrist and sent a jet of laser fire. The laser struck the criminal in the back which caused him to fly right into a brick wall before Chronos removed three curved clock arrows from underneath his costume and threw them, pinning the criminal to the wall.

The hoodlum was halfway down the street and Chronos pressed a red button to accelerate his jet pack to the speed of light, propelling him right in front of the fleeing criminal at the speed of light.

"Not so fast, my good man," replied Chronos. "You cannot out run time, you foolish punk."

The attacker pulled out a tire iron, but Chronos shot a clock arrow on a thick rope from underneath the sleeve of his costume and flew around. In a half of a blink of an eye, the hoodlum was tied up.

Harry arrived and stopped in his short. He gave a good look from side to side, as he saw the two vandals tied up before he looked up to see Chronos above him.

"You!" exclaimed Harry.

"Do not fear citizen, it is time for you to breath again safely as these two dastardly rogues have been brought to justice," replied Chronos with a salute.

"How in the hell did you get out of the asylum?" asked Harry.

"Allow me to correct you, I was insane but I've been given a clean bill of health and now I've been given the tools to atone for my past crimes," answered Chronos. "Now if you excuse me, it is time to clock out to search for further crooks and vandals, I trust I'll be seeing you in due time."

Chronos zoomed off and was out of Harry's sight in a matter of time, thanks to his high powered jet pack. Approximately a minute later, the police arrived. As the sirens blared closer, Harry took that as his cue to leave.

Harry arrived back home, walking towards the kitchen, where Hailey was at the table, at work. Judging by her frustration, Harry suspected that she was working on a homework assignment, most likely from Potions.

"Oh, Harry, didn't see you come in," replied Hailey in an absent minded voice. "Mum says she needs to pick up something for the project she's working on upstairs, so she might not be back for several hours."

Harry sat down.

"I met someone on my way back from the lair," said Harry. "I had gotten into a scuffle with two hoodlums that had robbed a store, but as they got away, they were subdued by the most unlikely person."

Hailey looked up with interest.

"Remember, that nutter who attempted to steal the Weasley clock?" asked Harry.

"Vaguely," answered Hailey in an even voice, but the truth was, she remembered Chronos all too well, more for his attempts to smash her into paste on the bell clapper of a clock tower when she was under the guise of the Black Phantom.

"Well, I had assumed he was still locked up in an insane asylum, but he was judged to be mentally competent and now believes himself to be some sort of avenging hero," continued Harry. "I wonder what his game is."

"Most likely something to do with clocks," muttered Hailey, as she began to write the conclusion of her essay, which had taken her several hours of hard, pain staking work to complete.

"I'm going to go back out, to see what exactly his game is," answered Harry. "Something here is extremely rotten."

Hailey vaguely waved Harry off as Harry rose back to his feet, before he walked out the door.

"Yes, completed," replied Hailey, as she read over her essay a couple of times, before rolling it up and walking up to her room, to retrieve her next homework assignment with the obsessively large amount of homework that the teachers assigned over the holiday.

Back in the city, a rotund man exited a restaurant, unwrapping a cheeseburger before taking a large bite from it before the wrapper was casually tossed aside.

Just as soon as the wrapper hit the ground, a jet of laser fire bound down on the man and Chronos swooped down on his jet pack.

"What the hell do you want?" asked the man.

"You committed a crime, you sick fiend," said Chronos in a deadly voice. "You must suffer the consequences!"

The man attempted to stagger off, but Chronos flew circles around him several times. Clouds of dust rose and the man choked, before falling to his knees. Chronos removed handcuffs, with curved clock arrows, before snapping the clock arrows shut. He casually kicked the man in the back, before he bent down.

"I hope that shows you, that crime doesn't pay, but time does" sang Chronos as the man grunted as he tried to pull himself free, before Chronos looked up towards a car passing him. "Now, if you excuse me, it's time for me to clock out several more criminals in this city."

Chronos blasted off at the speed of light after the car and in a split second, he was parallel to the vehicle.

"Pull over to the side," ordered Chronos as he aimed himself in front of the vehicle but the motorist attempted to ignore him, so Chronos used a laser blaster hooked to his wrist to blow out the tires.

"Hey, what the…" started the motorist, but a large clock pendulum shattered through the windshield, sending pieces of glass flying everywhere, as Chronos reached inside, before casually tossing the man to the side as he landed on the pavement.

"It is my duty to inform you that I have you clocked at sixty one miles per hour in a sixty mile per hour zone," admonished Chronos. "Now, we can't very well have that, now can we."

"Now, my daughter, she's very sick, she's on the verge of dying, I was just rushing to the hospital to see her while I still can," stammered the motorist.

"Save it for someone who cares, law breaker," replied Chronos in a cold voice as he began to bind and gag the terrified man. "It's high time someone cleans up this city from vagrants and that someone will be the Count of Clocks!"

Chronos looked from right to left, using his modified goggles to enhance his vision, before he spotted what in his eyes were more miscreants.

"In the name of justice!" chanted Chronos as he sped off, leaving the terrified man still tied up.

Chronos swooped down on two little girls playing on a stretch of grass, before he looked down at them, before he made a disapproving noise.

"Now, that sign does say, no one is allowed on the grass," said Chronos, before shaking his head and swooping down at the girls, who cowered in fear. "I'm afraid it is time for you two to atone for your vile crimes."

Chronos pointed his wrist band laser blaster, but a shuriken impacted Chronos, causing him to spin around as Harry Potter stood there and looked ready for a fight.

"So, Potter, I see you are aiding and abetting dangerous fugitives," said Chronos coolly as he looked over his shoulder, at the two girls who seemed petrified with fear.

"Youre not only a vigilante but you are a vigilante of the worst kind, one with a warped sense of justice, targeting petty criminals when there are other, more dangerous criminals running lose," answered Harry.

"Don't you see what I'm trying to do?" challenged Chronos as he hovered above Harry. "I'm going to make this city a better place and there is no such thing is a petty criminal, you meddler. So, I guess you are on the side of these fugitives as well and must be put down like a rabid dog."

Chronos aimed his wrist laser blaster towards Harry, and gave a succession of five shots, which Harry all dodged, before he tossed a Kusari-Gama chain up and attempted to wrap around the legs of Chronos, but the obsessed self proclaimed clock lord's jet pack propelled him out of reach, before he circled Harry.

"Oh no, you're not getting away at easily," muttered Harry as he removed an object the size of a match book before he tapped his wand to it, enlarging it and caused it to grow to his bag.

"Cool trick, mister," said one of the girls bravely

"You two should go home, things are going to get dangerous," replied Harry sternly as a jet of laser fire blasted towards Harry, but Harry managed to throw a pair of daggers up at Chronos to stall him, but they were deflected in a matter of minutes.

"Is that all you have, Potter?" taunted Chronos. "You were a tougher opponent when you were seven years old."

Harry disregarded that oddity, before he mounted his Firebolt and shot up towards Chronos. He was extremely confident that walking case of insanity could not touch him in the air, when the odds were even.

Harry dove in a corkscrew manner, avoiding the laser fire from Chronos, circled him in an attempt to distract him from his next move. With expert precision, Harry attempted to bind Chronos's arms with thick cords shot from his wand but the high tech jet pack allowed escape. As a result, the cords wrapped around mid air before they dropped down to earth and Harry moved into attack but Chronos cranked up a dial on his forearm.

"Time out, Potter!" taunted Chronos and a heavy blast of laser fire was sent right at Harry .Harry managed to pull up so he could avoid the fire but the broomstick was blasted full on, which caused Harry to spiral to the ground on his destroyed Firebolt.

At the last second, Harry leapt off, before the broomstick crashed into the ground, splintered into several fragments.

"Ah, did I break your little toy?" cooed Chronos before giggling madly before continuing in an icy cold, serious tone. "Well, call it payback for ruining my life."

Harry was seething, that whacko had destroyed his broomstick and that was something that all Potters took extremely personal. Yet, Harry found himself with no way to beat Chronos if he had no way to catch him. Even in the air, Chronos few circles around him and Harry decided that it would be best to regroup, before coming back with a more concrete plan and disapparated just as Chronos plunged down, in a vicious attempt to impale Harry with a razor sharp clock arrow.

"Soon, Potter, it will be your time!" shouted Chronos and he looked around, where the two little girls had wisely departed. "And I'll catch those two grass defiling vandals as well."

Hailey looked up from a particularly difficult Transfiguration essay that McGonagall had assigned as Harry arrived, broken pieces of his Firebolt in his hand and his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Okay, this guy was a nuisance before but I'm really taking this personal now," said Harry in an angry voice. "He destroyed my Firebolt."

"You've got two more broomsticks Harry," replied Hailey in a reassuring voice, referring to the broomstick that Sirius bought for Harry during his third year that Harry had kept locked up and the Firebolt that Harry used at Hogwarts. "Oh yeah, and that monstrosity that got recalled for being too dangerous that you had me and Hermione collect last year."

Harry's eye twitched briefly at the mention of his estranged best friend's name, but that was quickly extinguished by something that Hailey had reminded of.

"That's it, Hailey, you're a genius, I can use my Wind Storm to out fly that nutter and defeat him," said Harry.

"Harry, you told Mum that you only bought that broom for research purposes," admonished Hailey and she did looked concerned at what looked like her brother's attempts to commit and entirely reckless act with a dangerous broomstick.

"It's the only way I can take him down," said Harry, waving off Hailey's concerns, before he made his way to the basement, where his Wind Storm was kept.

Hailey threw up her hands up defeat, as she knew there was nothing she could do to talk her brother out of using that dangerous, super speed, racing broom, so the least she could do was follow him and make sure he didn't get injured. Her mother would kill Hailey and then Ginny would find a way to resurrect her, just to kill her again if something happened to Harry.

A quick change of clothes and the Potter family Invisibility Cloak would be in order for Hailey to follow closely and discretely.

Back in the city, Chronos looked around for more criminals to bust but Harry Potter walked out of the shadows.

"So, you haven't had enough, have you?" taunted Chronos.

"Your time is up," replied Harry in a stoic voice which caused Chronos's facial features to contort in what might have been irritation, but it was difficult to see as his eyes were concealed by his goggles.

"Hey, I'll be dispensing with the timely puns, you amateur," retorted Chronos as he pulled out a cuckoo clock from behind his back. "And it's high time you paid me respect."

"You use high tech lasers and dangerous weaponry and now you pull out a cuckoo clock," said Harry, with the belief that this shouldn't take any time to wrap up, the Potter arrogance gene kicking into high gear as he stepped forward.

"This isn't an ordinary cuckoo clock, Potter," explained Chronos and a second later, the clock went off and a giant boxing glove sprung from the clock and struck Harry right in the face. Harry crumpled to the ground, knocked unconscious.

"It's time to wake up!" chanted a boisterous voice and Harry's eyes slowly opened and Chronos stood above his form. It took a few seconds to register that that Harry was bound to a large metallic pole.

Harry attempted to remove his wand from his sleeve, but to his absolutely horror, it wasn't there.

"Looking for this!" taunted Chronos as he waved his want in Harry's face. "Harry Potter or would you prefer I call you the Boy-Who-Lived?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," answered Harry.

"I know everything about you Harry, everything and those ropes are reinforced, plus completely resistance to any and all magical attacks," replied Chronos. "My new friend, my hook up as the kids on the street call it, has informed me of your tale, from your defeat of Lord Voldemort all the way to your various misadventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Would this same friend be the person who supplied you with this high tech weaponry?" asked Harry.

"Very perspective Harry, there are brains in that skull of yours, it's a shame that they'll be splattered all over the city," replied Chronos. "Time is not on your side, Potter, gaze above your head."

Harry looked up and recognized the giant structure looming above his head.

"That giant ball falls to celebrate the birth of a brand new year and soon it will fall right on your dunderhead, to celebrate the royal execution of Harry Potter," said Chronos before laughing madly for nearly a minute as Harry attempted to pull himself free, but since he was unable to reach his weapons or was unable to use magic, that endeavor failed. After all his battles, Voldemort, Shredder, Bishop, The Death Eaters, The Foot, Hun, Stockman, Triceratons, and many others, Harry's ultimate death would come due to a giant glass ball controlled by a mentally unstable man with an unhealthy fetish for time.

Chronos looked at Harry with a triumphant look as he pulled out a remote control device.

"Farewell, Harry Potter," declared Chronos as he prepared to press the button to activate the mechanism to drop the ball but a thick rope wrapped around Chronos's arm causing him to spin around and drop the remote control device.

"Ready to surrender, Chronos?" challenged Hailey, who was naturally under the guise of the Black Phantom.

"My time is not yet up, Black Phantom," retorted Chronos and he pressed the button to activate the jet pack which caused to burst up and Hailey to give a surprise shriek, as she found herself dangling from Chronos's flying form as he moved through the city.

Harry looked up, wishing he had access to something sharp, a dagger, a shuriken, anything that could be used to slice himself free, as he watched the Black Phantom dangle from Chronos as he flew recklessly through the city. Despite her status as a vigilante, Harry held no ill will towards the Black Phantom and never liked to see innocent people perish, even if they deliberately put themselves in danger. That's why Harry vowed to unmask the Black Phantom for her own good, but it didn't matter now, as they were both in danger.

"It's time to cut my losses," replied Chronos as he sliced the rope causing Hailey to spiral recklessly out of control, but thankfully for her, she managed to grab onto a building ledge on the way down, before she plummeted messily to the ground.

Chronos touched down and casually picked up the remote control device, before he turned towards Harry.

"No way out now, Potter!" chorused Chronos and he pressed the button to activate the apparatus that caused the giant ball to come down, which would happen in thirty seconds.

A slice spell whizzed through the air and connected with part of the giant ball, sending jagged pieces of glass flying through the air and Hailey cursed herself, as her attention was to knock the ball down, away from Harry went awry.

"I'll finish you off for trapping me in that clock tower and driving me to the brink of insanity!" yelled Chronos as he sent a series of laser blasts right at Hailey, which she just managed to doge.

Meanwhile, a piece of glass fell right at Harry's face, and Harry tucked his foot underneath the glass piece, before managing to transfer it to his hand and Harry quickly went to work on the ropes, just as the glass ball prepared to crash down into his skull.

The ropes were sliced and Harry threw himself out of dodge, just a second before he would have been crushed. The Black Phantom had tripped her own feet in an attempt to dodge Chronos's attacks, and Chronos aimed his laser blaster to prepare to finish her off. Chronos had dropped Harry's wand in the confusion, so Harry rolled forward, before he picked up the wand.

A pair of chains shot from Harry's wand but Chronos used his rocket thrusters to move out of the way of impact.

"I don't know how you escaped Potter, but you'll never catch me once I boost my jet pack into turbo overdrive," replied Chronos, before he cranked a red dial and he was blasted into the air as quick as a flash.

Harry just smirked before he enlarged his bag and removed his Wind Storm broom, before he mounted it and the broom shot off like a cork, right at Chronos at an equally fast speed to start with, Harry gaining momentum as he flew towards Chronos. Chronos flew at the speed of light, but Harry flew at the speed of a Killing Curse, which was just a bit faster due to its magical properties.

"No, no, no one could touch me in this jet pack!" yelled Chronos, before he spun around and activated a control on his wrist bands. "This will blow you sky high, Harry Potter."

A large, nearly solid wall of laser fire shot right from Chronos's wrist bands, ripping through the air and for the briefest of seconds, Chronos had thought he had vaporized the Boy-Who-Lived.

He then felt a tap on his shoulder and he spun around, to see Harry perched on his broomstick, with a smirk.

"About time you turned around, slow poke," said Harry and Chronos aimed his wrist band laser at Harry, but other than a few sparks, it fizzled completely out. "Out of fuel?"

Chronos angrily pressed the button to reactivate his jet pack but he only flew maybe half of a mile, before he began to descend to the ground and he crashed roughly to the ground, his jet pack along with his wrist blasters sliding off as he laid on the ground.

With a smirk, Harry descended to the ground and looked down at Chronos, who got up, begging for mercy.

"C'mon, you wouldn't hit a man with glasses, would you?" pleaded Chronos, as he pointed to his goggles with a confident voice and Harry calmly used his wand to summon Chronos's goggles, leaving him quite exposed and a punch right to the face knocked Chronos out cold.

Without another word, Harry tied Chronos up, stringing him up to a nearby light post, before placing a call to the authorities to come pick him up.

It didn't escape Harry's attention that the Black Phantom had managed to slip out before he had a chance to confront her. The more Harry thought about it, something seemed extremely familiar about her, but Harry couldn't for the life of him place what it was.

Harry arrived back at the Potter residence, well past midnight.

"Oh, Harry, there you are, I though you would be back before I was," said Lily, as she sat in the chair in the sitting room. "You didn't run into any trouble."

"No, not too much at least," replied Harry. "Hailey told me about the part you had to get with that thing you're working on in the attic, did you find it?"

"Yes, yes, I did," answered Lily.

"You know, I don't think you ever told us exactly what you're working on up there, Mum," said Harry.

"I'll tell you when I'm completely sure it works, but it will of some use, I can tell you that," replied Lily. "On another note, I just got done talking with Alexandra, she mentioned something rather peculiar that was stolen, that I thought you might want to know."

"Really, what?" asked Harry.

"A mysterious magical box that was about to be moved to the American Department of Mysteries from a Muggle Museum was swiped tonight, in fact, the museum was a few blocks away from here," answered Lily. "From what little is known, it is rumored to have mystical properties of some sort."

Harry racked his brain, he remembered reading about such a box in one of the books in the Salazar Slytherin library, but he couldn't remember which book or any other details.

Harry then had a strange thought, he wondered if the individuals who stole the mystical box and the people who supplied Chronos with his weaponry tonight were one in the same.


	22. Chapter 22: Changing Faces Part I

**Chapter Twenty Two: Changing Faces Part One:**

"December Twenty Sixth Earth Protection Force Super Solider Program log," stated the cool voice of Agent Bishop. "The replicated mutated cells have properly incubated yesterday and the process to isolate the mutagen for extraction has already begun. Soon, I shall have the elements necessary to begin testing and will be one step closer to preparing the first prototype super solider. The only unknown variable I must test is what kind of reaction the mutagen reacts when combined with human DNA."

The mutagen swirls in the test tubes, separating from the other elements of the replicated mutant turtle DNA. After a few seconds, the mutagen flowed straight through, before ended up right in a test tube.

"The mutagen has successfully been isolated and now is ready for the next phase of testing," continued Bishop as he grabbed the vial, before he corked the vial. "The next round of testing shall begin once I find a volunteer test subject to test the reaction of the mutagen to human DNA. End of log."

The transmission cancelled and at the second, an alarm sounded, which caused Bishop to spin around, before he moved quickly to a console system. Security had been increased in all of his facilities since the incident involving Karai but obviously someone had found a flaw in the security system. Bishop pressed a button and sure enough, he saw an unauthorized person on the base. He prepared to call for security on the intercom system of the base.

"Bishop to security, unauthorized body in the vicinity of level two, room C," informed Bishop. "All security in that area move in and capture intruder. I will meet you shortly."

Bishop looked at the vial of mutagen before a sudden burst of inspiration hit him, as he picked up the vial along with a syringe, before he made his way from the laboratory and down the stairs, quickly as possible.

Up on level two, the intruder, a very common man with ragged clothes looked around, his arms full of blueprints. Surely one of these things would be his ticket to riches.

"Halt!" shouted a security guard and the intruder turned to run down the corridor but another a pair of security guards cut him off at the other end and the intruder found himself trapped as more security guards closed in, before they grabbed the intruder and held him.

Bishop walked up the steps, with a smug look on his face, as he readjusted his tie casually and stared down the intruder.

"So, I supposed you thought you could breach my security and walk out of here without consequences," said Bishop coolly as he looked at the intruder. "Just a common thief, no doubt uneducated, because anyone the least bit literate would know that breaking into a government base is a bad idea after recent incidents."

The intruder attempted to break free but Bishop grabbed him by the arm, before forcing him against the wall, and pulling out the vial of mutagen and the syringe. Bishop filled the syringe with the mutagen, causing the syringe to glow with a nearly blinding quality that Bishop quickly turned his head away to shiled his eyes.

"Curious," muttered Bishop, but he decided that he would not be distracted. "Well, I will not allow your trip here to be wasted, you'll be volunteered for an experiment for the good of the country."

"Please, don't hurt me, I was just trying to make some money," pleaded the thief.

"This won't hurt, for long," answered Bishop coldly as he raised the syringe before he stabbed it into the arm of the thief, injected mutagen straight into his blood stream.

The thief screamed in absolute pain and agony, as the security guards stepped back in horror as Bishop calmly stepped back as his skin began to melt right before their very eyes, much to the horror of the security guards, as Bishop just casually studied the slow and rather drawn out demise of the thief right before his very eyes.

At the American Wizarding Government headquarters, Alexandra sat at her desk, swapped with paper work. Despite her best efforts, it seemed that a few Voldemort sympathizers had slipped through the cracks and had decided to take refuge into the city of New York. The very frustrating thing was there was evidence that suggested that they had aligned themselves with the various mob organizations in the city of New York and indirectly were protected by the Oroku Saki as a result of his various ties, which constituted as a problem in getting concrete information because of his close ties with the authorities in New York City.

"Madam President, your visitors are here," crackled a voice over the intercom.

"Send them in," replied Alexandra in a tired and quite weary voice, as she placed the latest bit of paperwork, as the door opened and Lily walked in, followed closely by Harry and Hailey. "Oh hello, Harry, Hailey, Lily, lost track of the time and thought you weren't coming by until a little later."

"Alex, you look exhausted," said Lily in a concerned voice.

"These damn eighteen hour shifts and then the Daily Prophet has to go off against how the American Wizarding Government is isolated from Voldemort, about how we don't have the problems on the scale the British Ministry does," remarked Alexandra. "Yet, several attacks, nothing too large, but they are spread out in different parts of the country, making it a mess to send out people to modify memories. The plane that went down yesterday in Colorado was far from an accident and so was that train derailment."

"But there are people getting rounded up, aren't there?" asked Hailey.

"Oh yes, we sentenced nine people in the past week and if I remember rightly, the same thing happened during Voldemort's first attempt to gain power, from what my predecessor told me" explained Alexandra. "It slowed down to a mere trickle after Voldemort but over the past year it picked back up. I'm almost sure that Alonso is trying to encourage people inside the country to rebel and cause trouble. Unfortunately I can't prove it."

Alexandra sighed deeply.

"Then there was this last incident, four people who were strongly suspected of being supporters of Voldemort were last seen in New York but the Mayor seems to not want to let any magical influences into the city, because he's afraid it might cause a panic if he knows there are dangerous fugitives," said Alexandra. "He did tell me the authorities are looking into the situation, but frankly I can't do much of anything once I don't have any information. I have a good idea that they might be conspiring with the mob, who from what I here has a vendetta against Harry for his part in helping end their hold over the city two years ago during that large string of gang wars."

"Who doesn't," remarked Harry darkly but then he shook his head. "Still your hands are tied regarding, but it's too bad someone with metamorphmagus talents doesn't attempt to infiltrate the mob in a disguise, and if conclusive information happened to fall into your hands, then you could conduct a raid to bring these people to justice."

"I see," replied Alexandra as Lily looked at Harry. "Well, I hope this person, should they attempt to do this, is careful and doesn't get themselves injured, but its best if the information is just passed to me, without me seeing who sent it, so I can deny anything."

"Right and on another note to abruptly change the subject, anything else about that mystical box that was stolen?" asked Harry.

"No," answered Alexandra. "All we know is that there was no signed of forced entry, so it had to have been magical individuals who stole it, not that helps any, as there are five hundred thousand known witches and wizards in this country."

"The latest information from the spies within the Ministry is here, correct?" suggested Harry.

"Yes, I do, Harry, but I'm afraid it's rather slim this time, I suspect the Ministry may be onto one or more of my spies from within by now, so only one potential Voldemort supporter working in the Ministry, a top member of the Auror Department I might add," said Alexandra. "He's been with them only since a few years after Voldemort fell the first time, but his father and grandfather were top Aurors in their day, so he's got connections but is also known to be a bit of a blood purist and his father was a friend of Pius Thicknesse."

Harry nodded, taking all that information in as Alexandra handed him the file, containing all the necessary information.

Back in Bishop's lab, some of his scientists were examining the pile of ooze that was one a human being, examining it with all sorts of equipment.

"These readings are extremely strange," remarked one of the scientists.

"How so?" demanded Bishop.

"Well, for one, this should be extremely toxic but it's not and number two, there is an indication that there is something sentient within this ooze," answered the scientists, as he bent down to observe the ooze.

Bishop didn't look surprised but he did do a slight double take as what appeared to be an eyeball poked out of the ooze and it began to glow the same vibrant green color that his syringe did earlier and the scientists, gasped and for good reason.

Human arms began to burst out of the ooze before legs did as well. The area of the ooze where the eye was slowly contorted into a head before the ooze began nearly blinding as the puddle of ooze became a fully formed human being in a matter of seconds.

The scientist who had went in to observe the ooze looked shocked, as he looked into what was essentially his own mirror image stood before him.

"This is extremely interesting and quite unexpected, it appears the mutagen has given our test subject shape shifting abilities," declared Agent Bishop.

"Shape-shifting abilities?" asked the thief, who had an amount of greed wash over his face at the implications of this. With his new found abilities, he could use them to pull jobs every night and no one would be the wiser, as he would take on a different appearance.

"The long term effects of the mutagen and its reaction to the human DNA is quite unknown," interjected one of the scientists. "Along with any limitations that our subject may have as a result of these new found powers, along with any instability."

"Yes," answered Bishop crisply as he studied the thief's facial features, but nothing seemed to be the matter. "We must leave him here and study this matter further."

"I'm not your pet science project, you can't just force me to stay, I've got to pull some jobs," answered the thief and quickly he made his way towards the exit and Bishop prepared to give the signal to stop him, but it wasn't necessary.

The thief stopped and gave a painful gasp, while he clutched his chest and began to slump against the wall, while sweating madly, as his skin began to slowly melt. In a desperate attempt to change himself back, he screwed up his eyes, but the burning sensation just seemed to intensify as he began to degenerate back into a puddle of ooze.

"Not so easy to use your powers, is it?" inquired Bishop calmly and the man opened his eyes as he felt himself smudged against the wall, as he looked right into Agent Bishop's face and began to glow once again, as his features began to contort slowly, until Bishop stared an exact mirror image of himself. He had found another limitation for the mutagen, as the thief needed to get a clear visual of what he was going to change into to properly change.

"Painful, need to change me back, I beg of you, I'll do anything if you change me back," pleaded the thief. "It burns too much when it wears off."

"Yes, I believe I will find an antidote to revert you back to your pitiful existence once you do me a small little favor," responded Bishop. "Follow me, and I will give you the specifications of the favor you need to do to me."

The thief nodded, as he followed Bishop, careful not to let the government agent out of his sight just in case he needed to change again.

Back in a run down part of New York City, a quartet of three men and one woman entered a night club in the outskirts of New York before they approached a tough looking mobster.

"The scar will soon be erased," remarked one of the men in a cryptic voice and the mobster nodded.

"Big Louie and the Ambassador are waiting in the back room," answered the mobster in an equally cryptic voice and the quartet made their way to the back room, ignoring the various people who were yelling in a crazed matter before they proceeded to the back room and pushed the door open.

A large man dressed in a white suit sat in the back of the room and cracked his knuckles, while a shorter man sat in the back.

"Ah, Gentlemen and lady, it is a great honor to meet you," stated Big Louie as he leaned back in his chair. "I understand you've had some dealings with a mutual enemy of ours recently."

"Yes, Harry Potter," piped up the woman. "He's been on the look out for any sympathizers he can, to use a mafia term, knock off and he's got the American Wizarding Government now searching for us."

"Our group used to be much larger, but now it's been cut down to just us and while there are others who support the cause around the country, New York is becoming a dangerous place for those who want to kept the natural order of the Wizarding world in check," continued one of the man.

"I can relate, Harry Potter, along with those giant lizards, is the contributing factor to why my organization is not running this city," said Big Louie. "My good friend, the Ambassador to the Mexican Ministry of Magic, has been filling me on some of Potter's exploits and for a punk kid, he gets around a lot."

"Yes, Senor Potter does get around too much but the Dark Lord will fix him all too soon," said the Mexican Ambassador with a chuckle. "Minister Alonso has met with the Dark Lord and while he might be a bit loco, his aims make perfect sense to bring the Wizarding World under one unified ruler. So, the Minister says that all supporters of the Dark Lord should keep up with their activities to make sure all the Mudbloods and blood traitors are put in their place, but if the American Wizarding Government suspects you, to lay low until the heat gets off."

"Yeah, so all of you ain't going to worry about nothing. For a small fee, you'll be spending some time at my night club," added Big Louie. "And I won't go out of my way to pursue vendetta against the Potter nuisance but if he comes sniffing around any of my clubs, he's going to be sleeping with the fishes."

Outside the club at this time, Harry checked out his altered appearance in a mirror. His hair was shorted slightly, made a light shade of brown and his eyes were a shade of blue, along with his height being altered several more inches and a number of scars being added to signify a faux story that he would have tell about being a grizzled veteran of the mob. It didn't take too much time to alter the appearance, which prompted Harry to reflect on how far he had came with his natural Metamorphmagus abilities. At first, he could only hold them for a couple of hours at a time, with intense concentration but after years of practice and periodical use, Harry found his use of one of his magical talents to come along as simple as breathing.

With everything in check, Harry made his way inside the club and calmly pushed the door open, walking inside, looking around. Most of the people inside the club were normal people, but Harry did recognize a few individuals from past altercations, the most conspicuous would be two members of Luther Malfoy's old gang before he formed the Squib Inquisition, Mugsy and Boris, who were playing pool and hitting on a couple of women who looked much younger than them.

Harry recognized a man sitting at the table as one of the individuals in Big Louie's mob that he and his brothers had fought many years ago so Harry reasoned that if anyone would have answers about the whereabouts of the mob boss, he would.

Without fear, Harry walked over to the mobster and the mobster looked up right in his face.

"What do you want?" demanded the mobster.

"I'm looking for a mob kingpin, a real legend in the underworld, calls himself Big Louie," answered Harry in a cool voice, not blinking once as he stared down the mobster.

"Who wants to know?" challenged the mobster.

"The name's Shadow, twenty seven kills in the past year and I have a proposition for Big Louie," answered Harry. "So I suggest you make with the information and point me in the right direction, or I'll be making number twenty eight."

"Oh really, how are you fixing to make me number twenty eight, Shadow," answered the mobster in a disdainful voice.

Harry just smirked before he walked over calmly to the pool table where Mugsy and Boris were playing pool before he picked up a half full tankard before he swung it, bringing it down on the head of Mugsy. Mugsy fell backwards, after the glass cracked over his head.

Boris swung but staggered over his feet, before Harry casually kicked him in the face and a crack was heard as Boris fell backwards to the ground, blood oozing out of his nose. Harry then lifted up and threw Boris casually onto the table, his face smacking the edge of the table.

"Something kind of like that, but worse," answered Harry calmly as Boris was unconscious, his blood flowing to the table. "Now, this has to do with a certain scar headed meddler, if you catch what I'm saying."

"Another one," retorted the mobster and Harry placed his hands on the throat of the mobster, making the villain realize that Harry could wring his neck in an instant. "Why didn't you say so? Big Louie's in the backroom, he's sitting with the ambassador, no need to get hostile."

"I knew you'd see it my way," replied Harry as he backed off of the mobster, who pulled out a gun, but a blast from Harry's concealed wand caused the gun to disintegrate right to dust before Harry turned to make his way in a confident, but slightly intimidating matter to the back room.

Back at the main lab of Bishop's government facility, the intruder sat on a chair, still bearing the appearance of Agent Bishop but he began to feel a slightly stinging sensation, which indicated that he was nearly about to change but as Bishop stepped into view, carrying a hallow blue body suit with tubes sticking in every which direction, he managed to slow the effects, retaining Agent Bishop's appearance.

"Get inside this suit, it will slow the effects of your degeneration when it happens, until you manage to locate someone that you can study to morph into them to stop the pain," explained Bishop casually. "I must warn you, this suit is only a temporary measure, you have just eight hours."

"And when I succeed, you give me the antidote and I become normal," added the thief in a hopeful, nearly childish tone.

"Of course," answered Bishop as he handed the thief a piece of paper. "Combine your experience of thievery along with your new found abilities, and the alien computer circuit board from Saki Manor will be retrieved in no time."

The thief nodded, before he walked off. Bishop watched him leave and when he was completely out of site, Bishop made his way over to the console, before activating his log.

"Log for December Twenty Seventh," said Bishop. "A suitable test subject has been found and has been injected with the mutagen. A rather interesting anomaly occurred, as it appears the subject has been gifted with shape shifting abilities. The abilities are temporary at best, as the mutagen appears to be inspiring an unstable reaction with his body. In time, I'll be able to study this matter further once I have access to the remains when the test subject fulfills its purpose. Once that happens, the next stage of the Earth Protection Force super solider program will move on. Until then, Bishop out."

With that the log recording faded and Bishop stepped back, as he prepared to wait and watch the fruits of his work and steal a valuable piece of technology out from Oroku Saki's nose at the same time.

"So let me get this straight, you've had a run in with the Potter kid too," said Big Louie.

"Yes, as I told you, we had a little run in and he took out half of my men," answered Harry. "Dangerous kick, shocked he didn't decapitate Vito."

"He's also rather resourceful, my cousin was sent to Azkaban because of him," answered one of the men. "Personally, I wouldn't mind taking a crack at him, but word is that the Dark Lord wants to take him down personally so I guess I'm going to have to settle for pissing on his grave."

The four wannabe Death Eaters laughed and Harry joined them, not to blow his cover, but then grew serious.

"Yes, but what makes you think the Dark Lord would leave enough of Potter to put in a grave?" asked Harry which caused all four suspects, Big Louie, and the Mexican Ambassador to laugh at his dark humor.

"I like the way you think…" stated the woman before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. No need to be evasive, we're all sympathizers of the Dark Lord's cause after all."

"Oh, Shadow," replied Harry coolly.

"Lindsay Dempsey," answered the woman.

"Carl Preston," said one of the men.

"Stephen Travis," stated the second man.

"Matthew Morgan," informed the third man.

"Pleased to meet you all," remarked Harry as he had to work hard to conceal his smile, having recorded the entire conversation on a magically concealed tape recorder in his pocket. "Just thought of something, I need to meet a business contact of mine, he's was rather insistent that we meet up tonight, so I'll be catching you guys all later."

"Just a second, Shadow," remarked Big Louie. "Before you visit this contact of yours, I need you to do us a bit a favor."

"A favor?" asked Harry.

"A simple favor really, not like killing anyone, but this favor is a bit outside the law, as you could get busted if the Mayor found out you were carrying this contraband," responded Big Louie. "This is just an added bit of extra insurance to make sure that you're not playing us for a fool, you know, that you're not some pigeon if you catch my drift."

"I see. What do you want me to do?" asked Harry, morbid curiosity getting the better of him.

"You're going to drop off this package, I was meaning to do it myself once the heat had cleared, but for you to do it, it would save me the trouble," informed Big Louie as he picked up a small box, wrapped it brown paper and shoved it into Harry's arms. "So, Shadow, this package needs to be delivered to Oroku Saki as soon as possible."

"Saki," repeated Harry.

"Yeah, Oroku Saki, you know, the guy who so graciously donated the funds for the reconstruction of New York City," replied Big Louie and Harry detected a note of bitterness in his voice, no doubt stemming from the mob's failed attempt to wrestle control of the criminal underworld away from the Foot two years ago. "He wanted me to hang onto this package for a bit, but now he's ready to move it, called me just a few hours ago in fact. As far as I'm concerned, it's just saving me the trip, I'll give him a call to let him know you're coming, so rest assure, if on some off chance you might be a pigeon, I'll know about it, capice."

Harry nodded, as it gave him an excuse to have a close look around Oroku Saki's mansion and perhaps learn something that would give him more of an idea of what the Shredder was up to and maybe find out a bit more about Voldemort's plans as well. It was a stretch, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

With a nod, Harry walked off, preparing to disapparate straight to Saki Manor once he was out of view.

Outside of Saki Manor a guard looked around, at the sounds of activity in the bushes. Cautiously, the guard walked towards the bushes, before spotting a badly concealed figure within.

"Security control, we have a breach, please send…" started the guard, but he never finished as he was clubbed from behind with a metallic hand, as the thief made a pained, grunting noise as his face was nearly all the way melted, the ooze flowing through the tubes of the body.

The guard was spun around as the thief studied his facial appearance and he glowed a bright green color, before he began to morph into the guard that stood below him. With another quick thump, the thief tossed the unconscious guard into the bushes before he picked up his communication device.

"Disregard that last transmission, was only a cat," amended the thief, as he removed a key card which he assumed would allow him entrance into Saki Manor.

"Fingerprint identification," said a voice over the intercom and a small, metallic panel popped up, revealing a pad and the thief did as told. "Access approved."

The door swung open and the thief stepped inside.

Just at that moment, Harry managed to arrive just outside of the front door of Saki Manor. Quietly, he slipped inside, before the door could shut, before entering Saki Manor for the first time.

"Wow," muttered Harry to himself, as he looked around, grudgingly impressed by the sheer number of rooms and stairways inside Oroku Saki's mansion. While not as large in quanity as Hogwarts, it was still quite impressive. Quietly, Harry slipped around into the shadows and then quickly moved towards the stairway, the package tucked underneath his arm, to poke around Saki Manor.

The thief poked around, as he felt a slight sting once again after searching for upstairs for close to a half of an hour, the tell tale sign that it would be once again time to change.

"Karai, the mob has sent someone over to deliver the package that I had left with them recently, they should be arriving any moment now," declared the voice of Oroku Saki as the thief looked through the crack of the door, recognizing the savior of New York City at once, before his body began to glow and contorted once again.

Harry arrived upstairs around this time and spotted a door half ajar.

"Let's see what lies behind that door," muttered Harry to himself and he pulled the door open to reveal Oroku Saki's personal study. Harry walked inside, closing the doors behind him.

Harry looked around, nothing too peculiar yet, but then his attention was piqued by a large statue that resembled Oroku Saki.

"For Salazar's sake, how tacky can you get?" muttered Harry, shaking his head as he walked forward to get a better look at the statue, before something rather interesting struck Harry.

The statue appeared to be hollow and Harry wondered if it was actually a secret passage to somewhere. Pointing his wand towards the statue, Harry resolved to break it open and find out.

Just then the doors of the study swung open and Harry spun around, to see Oroku Saki standing in the doorway, staring at Harry with narrowed eyes.


	23. Chapter 23: Changing Faces Part II

**Chapter Twenty Three: Changing Faces Part Two:**

Harry turned around, preparing to fight but Saki didn't make any movement.

"It's inside the package," remarked Saki calmly after a few tense seconds.

"Yes, didn't Big Louie tell you that I was coming shortly to drop it off?" replied Harry casually.

"Hand over the package, it is extremely important to Agent Bishop," commanded Saki a statement that caused Harry to do a double take. The last time he checked, Saki and Bishop weren't exactly friends.

"You're not Saki, are you?" asked Harry coolly and as a result, "Saki" sprung forward, attempting to attack Harry, but Harry dodged, causing "Saki" to spiral towards the ground in an uncoordinated fashion. "Yep, you're definitely not Saki."

"Give me the package," repeated "Saki" as he pulled himself to his feet and went after Harry but Harry somersaulted over the imposter Saki's charging form and shot a Kusari-Gama chain out of his sleeve, which wrapped around "Saki" and bound his arms behind his back.

"Now, who are you?" questioned Harry but to his surprises, the arms of "Saki" managed to contort into a green slime, before they transformed into large battle axe like constructs.

"I'm starting to get the hang of these powers, unfortunate for you," retorted "Saki" cockily as he broke the chain before he leapt up, attempting to crack Harry's skull cleanly open with a battle axe but Harry dodged the attempt and "Saki" smashed right into the wall. No amount of shape shifting abilities could give him coordination as Harry watched as the form of Oroku Saki began to melt into a large smudge of ooze on the wall, as a large ear splitting shriek echoed throughout the study.

Harry stepped forward calmly but the ooze slipped upwards, before it sucked itself through a nearby air vent. Several drops of ooze were left behind, as the rest of Harry's mysterious attacker had vanished.

Harry stepped forward and conjured a vial, before carefully siphoning the ooze left behind into the vial, careful not to let the ooze touch his skin. With another wave, the vial was corked and Harry placed the vial underneath a stasis charm, before he pocketed it and began to walk off, where the real Oroku Saki walked into the room.

"Finally, I thought I had just missed you, Mr. Saki, you are Mr. Saki, correct?" inquired Harry, who had to suppress the urge to punch Saki in the stomach purely on principle.

"Yes, of course, you do have the package, Mr. Shadow, if I'm not mistaken," replied Saki in a cool tone of voice and Harry nodded in a stoic fashion, as he reluctantly handed Saki the package, regretting not getting a chance to see what it contained.

"Right here, whatever is in there must be valuable," remarked Harry. "The strangest thing happened just a few minutes before you came in."

"What sort of strange thing?" asked Saki calmly.

"I had thought I had met up with you, but this person found someway to take on your appearance and attempted to attack me to take this package," answered Harry. "We got into a minor scuffle and the imposter flew against the wall, where he melted into a smear of ooze."

"Do continue," prompted Saki calmly

"The ooze then found a way to move itself up the wall and slipped through the air vents right above here," concluded Harry. "For all I know, he could still be in the ventilation system as we speak."

"I do thank you for informing of this, Mr. Shadow, some of my people will look into this, this would be thief may still very well be in my mansion," answered Saki. "I believe we will be saying farewell at this moment."

"Yes, until we meet again," said Harry.

"Yes, until then," agreed Saki in a curious tone of voice, as Harry calmly walked from the study, with a vindictive pleasure that he managed to place a monitoring spell around the parameter of the study while he was speaking with Saki.

Bishop sat patiently in the lab, as green ooze flowed from underneath the door before contorting into an exactly mirror of Bishop.

"Well, where is it?" asked Bishop calmly.

"Agent Bishop, please, there were circumstances, I was noticed, Saki's mansion is on high alert, there's no way I can get this thing now," pleaded the thief.

"Well if you want to be returned to normal, you best find a way, failure is something that is not rewarded," responded Bishop coldly and the thief began to glow slightly, his arms turned into two large chainsaws.

"You will turn me back to normal or else!" thundered the thief, as the blades of his chainsaw arms whirled but Bishop calmly pressed a switch, which caused electrical shocks to burst out through the floor and through the thief.

The electricity caused the thief's powers to degenerate at a super high rate and the thief to fall to his knees in agony, before Bishop pushed the switch again.

"Let me make one thing certain, I will not be threatened," said Bishop as he gazed down at the half melted pile of ooze with utter contempt. "Am I clear?"

"Yes, Agent Bishop," replied the thief in disgust.

"Good, now you will leave once again and will not be coming back until you retrieve the computer motherboard from Saki," said Bishop, as he gazed at the thief from over the top of his glasses as his feeling slowly came back to him and a more bright green filled the room as the thief turned back into Bishop's duplicate before he sauntered off, in a rather foul mood.

Bishop looked down as several clumps of ooze did not merge with the thief, rather they laid on the floor a dead green with not the slightest bit of glow on them. As he gathered the inactive samples, he made a mental note to study them later, once he had put down his own creation.

Bishop waited until his unwilling employee had completely departed the premises, before he walked over for the third time in the past twenty four hours to record another log.

"Super solider log, it appears that our test subject's powers are evolving to previously undetermined levels," said Bishop. "His usefulness will be outlived rather shortly once he had gotten the required item from Saki and then he will be euthanized. Bishop out."

Bishop stopped the recording, as he reflected on the Triceraton motherboard that he had sent his test subject. From what he had gathered, the Triceratons had done their fair share of experimenting and study on the various alien life forms that they have encountered in the past. Much of that data, Bishop believed, was located on the motherboard. While he didn't know that Saki knew what exactly was preserved on there, Saki had have known that something was valuable and for the greater good, Bishop could not allow something like that to fall into Saki's hands. It would better serve his research then whatever plans Saki dished out.

After dropping off the tape recorder at the Potter residence for his mother to pass onto to Alexandra, Harry arrived at the lair before he made a beeline straight towards Don's workshop and Don was up, tinkering with something. In the distance, Raph and Leo were sparring, Master Splinter appeared to be in his room meditating, and Mikey sat on the couch, reading the latest addition of the New Adventures of the Justice Force comic book.

"Hey, Don," prompted Harry.

"Oh, hello Harry, what can I do for you?" asked Don.

"I've had a run in with something strange tonight, long story short is it appears my latest opponent is has some kind of abilities to change his appearance," responded Harry and Don's eyes snapped up, as Harry pulled the vial that he collected from his encounter with the shape-shifter. "I collected this from the encounter, perhaps you have some way that we can run a test on it."

"That looks kind of like the mutagen," muttered Don as he looked it only. "But a different shade of green and it's glowing."

"It can't be glowing," said Harry but he looked at it and sure enough, it was in fact glowing. "Impossible, I put this under a stasis spell, but yet it's active somehow."

"This is peculiar indeed," replied Don as he took the vial, before carefully popping it open before he scrapped a small sample onto a slide, careful not to allow it to touch his bare skin before he placed it underneath a microscope. Don stepped forward to observe it and he stepped back in surprise.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"Better take a look at this, Harry," said Don as he waved Harry over to the microscope and moved to the side, to allow Harry to take a look. "Do you see it, Harry?"

"I'm seeing tiny particles of what appears to be….magical energy," said Harry. "Merging with the ooze and what appears to be small trace amounts of human skin."

"Harry, the mutagen was basically an evolution accelerate," suggested Don. "When combined with turtles or rats, it evolves them into humanoid forms of life. But, let's say the ooze touches the bare skin of a human or gets injected right into their blood stream."

"Well in theory, humans would evolve as well, but since they are already in humanoid form, they would receive what is the equivalent of super powered genetics, which explains the shape shifting abilities on the guy I encountered tonight," concluded Harry.

"True, but what if the mutagen wasn't completely stable?" inquired Don.

"Then, the person's powers would malfunction, causing him to lose control of his powers for extended periods of times," suggested Harry. "Bishop might be testing certain variables regarding the mutagen and Human DNA for his super solider program."

"Wait a minute, are you sure Bishop's behind this Harry?" asked Don.

"Certain, the guy who attacked me said as much," answered Harry but before Don could continue, a thick cloud of grey smoke began to billow from the sample and a nearly blinding yellow flashing glow filled the lair and Harry quickly placed a heavily powered magical containment shield over the telescope.

The slide the sample was on and the telescope, along with half of the table melted down, before a large mushroom cloud explosion appeared inside the shield. Before it could eat through, Harry tapped his wand to it, transporting it to the vacuum of space before it took the entire lair out. Harry did the same thing with the vial as the mutagen was on the process of eating through the bottom.

"The mutagen is becoming unstable to the point where it is becoming radioactive material," replied Don in a horrified voice as the other three Turtles moved over to see the cause of the commotion and the blinding yellow glow.

"What happened?" asked Leo.

"Well, Harry was attacked by someone who was interjected by a replicated version of the same mutagen that turned us all into what we are today by Agent Bishop," explained Don. "It appears that the mutagen is highly unstable and if Harry hadn't transported it elsewhere, the lair would have been vaporized."

"The worst part is, that was only a few unstable mutant cells, but yes, cells that ate through a stasis spell" answered Harry. "If this Mutagen Man reaches that point where his powers evolve to the point where he begins to meltdown, than who knows what will happen."

"Do you have a theory?" asked Raph as he looked at both Don and Harry.

"By my calculations, the meltdown of this Mutagen Man will release a large scale blast that could wipe out New York," answered Don. "Not just the city, but the entire state."

"So, let's stop him, then," said Mikey in an eager voice.

"For once I agree with Mikey, let's take this Mutagen Man down before he wipes out the city," responded Raph, who was pleased to have an excuse to get out and crack some skulls.

"No, no, I have to enter Saki Manor to do this, he went there before to steal something and will again. If you four are seen there, it will be all your necks on the line," admonished Harry. "As good as you are, if even one turtle is sent there, we'll have every foot ninja on our heads."

"So, I suppose you can get into there, because the Shredder doesn't want to kill you as well," replied Raph in a sarcastic voice.

"Raph, I have metamorphmagus abilities that I can take any face I want, true we can throw a disguise on you, but those aren't exactly fool proof," answered Harry.

"But, Harry, this might be one thing you can't do alone, you did say he ate through a spell and a spell from you isn't exactly the weakest thing in the world," said Mikey.

"I have a plan, just please trust me on this," said Harry but Leo cut off Raph before he could complain.

"Harry, we trust you, but remember, we'll just a mirror call away if you need any help," said Leo.

"If things get out of control, I'll give you a mirror call, but only when things get out of control," admitted Harry as he made his way out to the lair.

Right when he left, Raph turned to Leo.

"So, are we going to follow him to keep an eye on him or not?" asked Raph.

"As appealing as that sounds, we just can't do that, Harry needs to learn to ask for help, rather than have it forced upon him, otherwise, he'll resent the idea of having any help at all," said Leo in a deflated voice. "Master Splinter told me that and I agreed, Harry's always been decidedly independent and quite frankly, he might be getting to the point where he can handle himself nearly as good as the four of us combined."

"With less years of training?" asked Mikey in a skeptical voice.

"Mikey, you know Harry's picked up things up faster than any of us, except for maybe Leo," said Raph. "He doesn't need to join in on any training sessions but yet he chooses to because he feels he can still pick up new things."

"As Master Splinter says, you can always pick up new things, learning only stops at death," recited Don. "Look, if Harry says he has a plan, he has a plan."

"Yeah, but doesn't change the fact that I'm worried that he's fighting someone who could go nuclear at any moment," grumbled Raph and the others did nod.

Outside of Saki Manor, the thief looked around at the gate, which was now locked and the fence around the structure was electrified, no doubt to keep intruders out.

"More then one way to get it," replied the thief, as he looked down, seeing a sewer grate on the street. He screwed his eyes up, before he painfully contorted into ooze and slipped down the street, through the sewer grate.

Unknown to him, Harry Potter, dressed in thick clothing charmed against radioactive poisoning, covering every inch of his body. An equally thick mask was pulled over his face, covering all of his skin and he had goggles pulled over his eyes.

Harry calmly opened the gate with his wand, before he slipped inside, with the gate closed behind him. A guard came nearby as Harry slipped through the bushes, shining with a flashlight, before he walked off and Harry crept around the shadows, before he reached the front door and once again it clicked up, before Harry magically made his way inside and the door shut, before anyone noticed that Harry made his way inside.

The ooze slipped in through a vent on the floor, moving around until it reached a group of Foot Ninjas as they moved equipment down a stairway. A green glow filled the room before a Foot Ninja popped out of the floor and slipped through the doorway to blend in with the crowd to make his way through the building.

"All the equipment is ready, I should have this baby scanned within a matter of minutes," remarked Doctor Chaplin in a boisterous voice as one of the Foot Ninjas plugged in the device and Chaplin carefully slid the motherboard onto the scanner, before pressing another button, which caused holographic images of all the items stored on the motherboard to appear.

The thief, under his guise of Foot Ninja, made his way through the room, before he saw the motherboard, just as Bishop described it.

The Foot Ninjas stepped back, before they pulled out their weapons and advanced on the thief. The thief looked at his hands, his form still kept but they were glowing a brighter shade of green yet.

"What the..." stated Chaplin as he turned around, but he had no need to worry as the Foot moved forward, but the figure contorted into ooze, before he slid through the floor, around the Foot Ninjas and reappeared, an exact opposite of Chaplin, before he reached forward and yanked the motherboard from the scanner, before he shoved Chaplin to the ground out of his chair before he contorted into ooze, before slipped upwards.

"Block the vents," ordered one of the Foot Ninjas, but it was too late as the thief had managed to slip through the vents, back into the ventilation system of Saki Manor.

Harry looked around, adjusting a dial on his goggles to view for any radioactive material in the ventilation system.

A second later, Harry's eyes followed an eerie glow that filled the walls. He had a good idea where it was heading as well.

In the sewers, the ooze slipped out of a pipe, before it flew towards a newspaper, before it morphed into a medium sized man with a goatee and Mohawk. The thief looked down at the motherboard, extremely pleased with his efforts. Now he could get back to Agent Bishop where he could be turned back to normal.

A shuriken flicked right over the head of the thief. A second louder, an explosion blew the wall right at the thief, before he fell to the ground and Harry leapt out of nowhere, double-edged sword in one hand and Kusari-Gama in the other.

The ooze slipped around the cracks of the wall, and contorted right into the same form that it had viewed the newspaper.

"Listen at me, you're putting the entire city in grave danger, your body is degenerating at a high rate," said Harry quickly before he held up a mirror. "Look at yourself."

The thief looked at himself inside the mirror and he looked normal at first sight, but he did a double take as his eyes began to glow a shade of yellow.

"If you keep changing, you'll eventually degenerate into a high mass nuclear explosion which will wipe out everyone in New York," remarked Harry.

"Bishop will change me back before that happens, as long as I give him the…MOTHERBOARD!" shouted the thief in anguish as the motherboard melted right in his very hands and he looked absolutely mortified as his one ticket to becoming normal disappeared in his hand.

"It's already begun," muttered Harry darkly. "Give yourself up."

"No, if I can't be normal, then the city suffers!" screamed the thief, as his face began to crack and Harry placed up the Kusari-Gama chain. "That didn't work on me earlier tonight, that little chain can't contain me."

Harry flung the chain forward and a loud anguished scream echoed through the as the sickle ripped through the abdomen of his foe. Another tug ripped the sickle in the other direction and caused bits of the thief to fly in every which direction in the sewer.

Quickly, Harry took out a small biohazard canister, made from a metal that he was lead to believe would sustain a high level nuclear blast.

"This should hold you," muttered Harry but green rope like constructs slipped out from all directions, before it caused the ooze to assimilate and slip down the sewers, leaving a bright green glow as it moved.

The ooze made its way up towards the street, where the streets were already bustling because of early morning traffic. It would be easy to blend into the crowd because of the insanity of New York and the ooze contorted into an old woman with a cane.

Harry arrived a few seconds later and looked right at the thief.

"Nice day out, isn't it sonny?" remarked the thief in a faux stereotypical old lady voice and Harry responded by the swiping his weapon at the throat, decapitating the thief and sending ooze splattering into the alleyway behind.

The headless old woman stumbled around, before another head grew from the body and moved towards the alleyway.

"Got to pick up the rest of me," said the thief as Harry moved into the alleyway, double-edged sword in hand and the ooze that Harry had cut off from the main body had morphed into a duplicate of Harry's weapon which the thief picked up.

Harry moved in, he needed to find a way to block this guy's ability to keep changing but he had little time to think as replica of Harry's weapon swung. Instinctively, Harry blocked it and jumped back to realize that this replicated weapon had began to burn through his weapon. Harry stepped back, before he leapt up and looked down, as his attacker advanced upon him and burnt holes into the ground as he walked forward.

He charged at Harry, swinging his replicated weapon. Leaping up, Harry dodged the attack and the sword was stuck into an electrical circuit box. On impact, a large burst of electricity filled the sword, as the thief gave an anguished scream as his weapon turned back into ooze, before it began to lose some of its glow and slightly hardened.

The thief pulled himself up but the hardened ooze fell to the ground. Feeling himself loosing his composure once again, the thief began to morph into the ooze, before he slid down the street, back into the sewers.

Harry stepped forward and examined the hardened pieces that his adversary had left behind. Curiously enough, it had stopped giving off its glow once it was exposed to electricity. A few quick spells told Harry that his theory had been correct and he had just found this Mutagen Man's Achilles heel.

Harry also suspected something else. His foe needed to view the person he was changing into before he morphed his features. Putting those two distinct weaknesses in mind, a better formed plan began to form into Harry's mind as he hurried off. Time was off the essence, he didn't have much time left before his attacker reached full mass and went off.

In a wooded area, the thief, now under the appearance of a homeless man that he had ran into while flowing through the sewer, arrived at a wooded area which was slightly outside of New York. There was a few cabins nearby but other than that, there was no signs of life. A few cold gusts of wind filled the air and a snow storm looked to be in the works based on the rapidly decreasing temperature. The tell tale signs of winter, but little did they know that everyone in New York would experience a nuclear winter.

"A couple more changes and everyone will pay!" shouted the thief in a loud voice as he looked down at his arms as the glowing began to fade from green to a bright, nearly blinding shade of yellow.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," answered Harry as he stepped into sight ready to fight, as he eyed the power lines above his head.

"I wipe everyone out, the biggest job I've ever pulled," proclaimed the thief. "Now once I find someone that I can into again, that should do it."

With a tug, Harry pulled off his mask, revealing his face, only covered by goggles and the thief spun around, before he looked at Harry but to his horror, his latest inspiration's features contorted slightly, making it unable for him to get a clear picture in his mind's eye. He screwed up his eyes in concentration, as the burning sensation filled him, his feet sinking into the ground as they burned and attempted to change into the person before him, but Harry's face kept changing slightly.

"Stay still, stop doing that, how are you doing that?" demanded the thief but Harry kept changing slightly every split second, making the thief woozy and causing him to lose his balance as his brain attempted to process several different faces almost simultaneously.

The thief staggered and stumbled, before he fell backwards into the river behind him. Before he could be swept away to elsewhere where he could change again, Harry threw a dagger into the air at a ninety degree angle and sliced the power cable. The cable fell into the water.

"NO!" shrieked the thief as he attempted to dog paddle away but he was filled with bursts of electrical energy that paralyzed him and caused him to melt into ooze. "My powers…me…no…"

The ooze began to harden until Harry reached over before calmly shutting it off, with several chunks of solidified ooze floating in the river. Carefully, Harry made sure that he summoned every bit of the Mutagen Man before he placed it into the biohazard container on the off chance it became active once again. Then he tapped his wand to it, turning the canister into a portkey, banishing the remains into the vacuum of space.

"Mr. Saki, I have bad news, but also good news," stated Chaplin nervously back at Saki Manor.

"Do state the good news if you will, Doctor Chaplin," prompted Saki.

"Well, we lost the motherboard, you see, that ooze man or whatever got away," stammered Chaplin as Saki stepped forward but Chaplin quickly decided he better tell his boss the good news. "The good news is, just because that guy stole the motherboard, I managed to find the plans you requested and upload a copy to the mansion's computer system. We should begin construction on it soon and it should be completed within the next six months."

"Then make it so, Doctor Chaplin," ordered Saki. "The sweeps of the city will be completed around the estimated time of completion and then my real plan can begin."

Harry sank into a chair in the kitchen as his mother walked into the room.

"It appears that four sympathizers of Voldemort were captured just a few hours ago, said Lily. "They are currently being questioned about the whereabouts of others."

Harry nodded, as he looked over the information he received last night. He would call a meeting of his resistance group tonight as to update on him on his new finds along with getting an update on several outstanding pieces of business. From what Harry heard, Voldemort had made an offer to the goblins recently, but the goblins regarded his offer with mostly disinterest, but there was a small faction that were rumored to entertain Voldemort's offer. Harry looked forward to that along with an update on a few other magical races that Harry had sent out feelers for recently.

Back in his lab, Agent Bishop looked down at the completed results from the samples that his test subject had left behind. He walked over calmly, before he proceeded to record another log.

"Agent Bishop super solider log update, after extensive study and every test known to man, along with a few that aren't, I have come to one conclusion," stated Bishop clearly as he examined the results. "The mutagen has assimilated with the turtle DNA and upon further study, it did not mix as well as I could have hoped with the human elements. However, this project is not far from lost as another element is required to stabilize the reaction between the human DNA and the mutagen extracted from the Turtles. To be more accurate, a sample from another mutant is required, one closer in relation to humans than a turtle. Plans have already been put into motion to procure the element necessary and I will get what I want for the greater good of all humanity, no matter how long it takes. Bishop out."


	24. Chapter 24: Revenge of The Garbageman

**Chapter Twenty Four: The Revenge of the Garbageman:**

Snow spiraled from the sky, as the streets of New York were covered in a large amount of ice. It was a couple of days before Harry was due to return to Hogwarts, and the snow didn't have any sign of slowing down any time soon.

Right now Harry was perched on the roof of a building, looking down at his streets at his brothers, who were on a training run. Master Splinter had reluctantly authorized an excursion outside the lair, because the massive amounts of snow and ice reduced the activity in the city to a mild halt and the Turtles were getting rather stir crazy from being confined to the lair for the past several months.

Now that Harry looked up, it seemed to be a bit colder than he usually remembered for this time of the year, but he brushed it off as it still wasn't uncommon for New York City to get about five feet of snow dumped onto it in one fell swoop.

Harry's concentration was broken when his mirror began to heat up, the only bit of warmth that Harry felt at the moment and he took it out of his pocket, to see Ginny's face on the other end of the mirror.

"Hi, Ginny," replied Harry. "How are you doing?"

"I'm actually doing pretty good, no nightmares without you, but still it would be nice for us to be together in the same bed again when we get back to Hogwarts," answered Ginny. "Just something about not having you by my side feels rather empty."

"Me to, and now I haven't had any either, but it's not like I get any sleep anyway," said Harry which Ginny responded to by narrowing her eyes. "I'll try and get some sleep once I finish Voldemort, if I finish Voldemort."

"I'll hold you that Harry," responded Ginny before she grew uncharacteristically serious. "Mum's a wreck, as Percy still isn't talking to us, but she found out that his house was attacked by Death Eaters months ago. He wasn't there though but the house was completely wrecked and could not be repaired by magic. Don't quite know where he's living right now."

"Has he even talked to any of your family since he stormed out?" asked Harry.

"No, he's run into Dad a few times at the Ministry, but he's acted like Dad didn't exist," replied Ginny. "He's gotten another new job, which he's doing well in, he cares more about his career than his family and I doubt if any of us died, he'd come to our funerals, especially if it conflicts with his job."

Harry didn't know what to say to that and talking about Percy Weasley had always been uncomfortable, because Harry felt a bit responsible for that particular estrangement.

"We got the Death Eater that I told you about the last time," informed Harry.

"Really, great!" exclaimed Ginny happily, but her expression quickly faltered when she saw the grim look on Harry's face. "There was a complication, right."

"Yes, right, I made Thicknesse seemed to get wind of my attempts to take this man out of Voldemort's ranks, so he sent Aurors in, on the pretext of following up a lead," responded Harry. "My Aurors had to make themselves scarce and the Death Eater were brought into custody, but let go the next day, due to insufficient evidence. From what the official word was, he left the country, to avoid an obvious threat to his life."

"Well, it looks like you're against the Ministry again, Harry," replied Ginny.

"Certain parts of the Ministry, about a fourth of the Auror office, Madam Bones, and a few others are on my side, which means they might be on Voldemort's list," answered Harry. "The problem is Thicknesse is trying to paint me as a reckless vigilante who attacks people for no good reason at all. I fear that my attempt to intimidate Voldemort by hinting that I have powers unlike the likes that have never been seen might have come back to haunt me."

"Yeah, the Ministry might use that as ammunition for their next round of assault against you," admitted Ginny.

"The strange thing is, I thought for now that Voldemort would have made an attempt to completely take over, those scrolls he stole last year being the main reason but all he's done is made Scrimgeour disappear and replace him with Thicknesse, along with scattered attacks that make no sense whatsoever," said Harry. "It makes no sense whatsoever."

"Or does it?" questioned Ginny. "Voldemort's recent attempts to get the goblins on his side suggests that they might have something that he wants and he can't complete his plans without it."

"Ginny, I didn't think of that, but that could be it," said Harry. "All the gold, but Voldemort doesn't strike me as the type to want a great amount of gold. There are treasures in the vault, some that might have extensive magical properties, but the goblins are bound by an oath that was signed after the last goblin rebellion to protect all the treasures of their clients."

"The Ministry was bound by oaths as well, obligations towards the goblin nation, and goblin law is quite different from Ministry of Magic law," responded Ginny. "Bill told me that what most won't consider a breach would be considered one by the goblins and now that they think the Ministry has breached their agreement, everything is up in the air."

"From what I've heard, some are maintaining the anti-human attitude right now, but others are entertaining the possibility of joining forces with Voldemort, as Voldemort has dropped some not so subtle hints that he will do everything in his power to get them the ability to use wands, something that the goblins have wanted for years even though they have their own magic," explained Harry. "The goblins aren't even acknowledging me, they don't put me on the same pedestal that many do, which is good in most cases but really frustrating this time."

Harry took a deep breath.

"They think I'm nothing but a kid who is in way over his head," concluded Harry bitterly. "Other magical races are with Voldemort, a couple like the centaurs scoff at the idea of getting involved in a human conflict, the house elves are divided because they can only follow what their masters say. However, the goblins are a real wild card and really hold the balance of power."

"Do you think there is a chance of a goblin rebellion?" asked Ginny.

"A goblin rebellion might be the least of our worries, I'm more concerned of a goblin civil war," said Harry darkly.

Ginny paused as she heard the sounds of her mother calling her name.

"Mum says dinner is ready, I've got to go" replied Ginny.

"Okay Ginny, bye, love you," answered Harry.

"Bye, Harry, love you to, see you at Hogwarts," concluded Ginny, before her face disappeared from the mirror.

Harry put his mirror away before climbing down off the side of the building towards his brothers, who were goofing off.

All the sudden, Harry heard a creaking sound of an approaching vehicle and he turned to his brothers.

"Guys, disappear," hissed Harry and the four Turtles ducked into an alleyway.

"Who would be out in this weather?" demanded Raph.

"You mean besides us," said Don and a large garbage truck skidded to a stop.

"A garbage truck, wait a minute, it isn't garbage day," remarked Mikey weakly.

"Let's see what this is all about, something's up," muttered Leo as he peered around the corner, as the garbage truck skidded to a stop right by the bank.

"Leo, don't you think you might be overreacting just a little bit," commented Raph but a group of eight individuals dressed in yellow jump suits with gas masks obscuring their face, which caused Raph to back track. "Something about those goons looks familiar, you don't suppose…"

"There's only one way to find out," said Leo, as the four Turtles, along with a quite baffled Harry followed them.

"What are you guys talking about?" questioned Harry.

"We'll explain later," muttered Leo in an undertone, as they moved their way around, seeing the last of the individuals from the garbage truck entering the bank, where they had managed to burn off the lock to allow themselves inside.

Harry, Raph, Mikey, Don, and Leo made their way inside into the bank, where they walked the intruders in the yellow jumpsuits and gas masks were busy attempting to open a vault with a torch.

"Hold it right there, you goons!" demanded Raph as he stood in battle position, with Leo, Don, Mikey, and Harry standing right behind them, as the goons turned around before six of them pulled out large shock sticks and rushed the Turtles and Harry while the other two continued to work on the vault.

Harry dodged an attempt to get electrocuted, before he calmly flipped one of his attackers to his back. Mikey leapt up and swung around, as he blasted another goon right in the face with well aimed nunchuck swing. Two goons moved forward, but Leo blocked their shock sticks with his katana, allowing Raph to slide it and take one out, throwing him into the wall, before Leo took him out with a roundhouse kick. Harry took out another goon and the final goon out of the six that attacked was left to Don. Don blocked an attempt of an electrocution with his Bo Staff before he swept the legs out from underneath his would be attacker and then brought the end of his Bo Staff down onto the chest of his attacker, which knocked the wind completely out of him.

Meanwhile, the other two intruders, had managed to remove the bank vault door, as the Turtles and Harry stood in front of them ready to take them down, but one of them flicked a pellet to the ground, causing noxious gas to fill the bank. Protected by their gas masks, the other six intruders managed to struggle their way to their feet, before they held the other two carry the bank vault door from the premises.

The gas quickly faded, being sucked from the bank from the large gusts of wind, as the Turtles and Harry weakly struggled to their feet.

"Damn, they got away!" cursed Raph. "Those goons, and now I remember who they were, they're Junk Troopers."

"I beg your pardon?" asked Harry who was utterly baffled, during his time, he had fought Foot, Death Eaters, Purple Dragons, and members of the Squib Inquisition but never Junk Troopers.

"They work for someone who calls himself the Garbageman," answered Don promptly.

"I vaguely remember hearing about him, you fought him during my first year at Hogwarts," said Harry.

"Yeah, not exactly the most competent of all the villains we've ever faced," answered Raph.

"But definitely the stinkiest," added Mikey.

"His minions, the Junk Troopers, abducted the homeless, in an attempt to build a new empire based on what he perceived the people that society threw out," concluded Don. "We knocked him in the river and thought we seen the last of him."

"Obviously not," said Raph. "The thing is, those Junk Trooper goons didn't steal any money, just the vault door, and that doesn't make any sense whatsoever."

"Yeah, the question is, what can he be after, he hasn't been seen in over five years," added Leo.

"I'm fed up trying to guess the motives of people to honest," answered Harry in an irritated voice as he heard sirens in the distance. "Someone tripped an alarm, we need to make ourselves scarce."

The ice and snow slowed the police slightly, which allowed Harry to use his wand to have the security camera and the tape within to have a slight malfunction. The last thing Harry needed was his brothers having anything that the authorities could spin into damning evidence against them to add to the smear campaign that the Shredder had began.

Just outside the city, deep within one of the more prominent garbage dumps, a large slob of a man sat on a throne as he drank from a carton of milk that was overdue. He placed the carton of milk down before he picked up a moldy, half eaten burger, and took a bite out of it. His real name remained something of a mystery, in fact it had been a long time ago since he had been known by his real name, but he was more commonly known as the Garbageman.

He looked up, pleased to see that one of his garbage trucks was grinding to a halt close by, his Junk Troopers having returned with the final element.

The doors swung opened, and the Junk Troopers exited, carrying a large metal door with them.

"Excellent, you've returned," said the Garbageman, sending spit flying everyone as he spoke. "Still, you had best explain why you were running late, remember I do not tolerate deviance. You all come from broken homes, family who threw you away like trash, I molded you into my personal guard, my Junk Troopers, so I best hear some logical explanations about your tardiness."

"Your Highness, we ran into those Turtles and an accomplice, some punk with messy hair and a scar, we just barely got away," offered one of the Junk Troopers in a feeble voice which prompted the Garbageman to crush the carton of milk within his hand, causing rancid milk to fly everyone towards the Junk Troopers.

"Those Turtles set back my plans for years to come, I had nearly amassed enough man power to spread my garbage empire past a mere city," growled the Garbageman. "They will not easily dismiss me, given what I found lying in the landfill, forgotten."

The Garbageman pressed up a button on his throne, which caused it to contort into a metal platform with metallic spider legs which allowed the big guy to become mobile. In a short amount of time, the Garbageman crept over, before he placed his stubby hands on a moth warn tarp.

"Some of you might have been under the assumption that I've been ordering you steel trivial items, such as light bulbs, hair pins, and most recently the stainless steel door of a bank vault," said the Garbageman. "But I assure you these are no mere thefts, but rather they are the elements I need to repair this."

The Garbageman removed the tarp to reveal the semi-crushed form of Captain Dread and the Junk Troopers looked on in shock. There seemed to be brief signs of life but mostly it looked in a comatose state.

"This cyborg was found crushed when I took up residence in this junkyard weeks ago but it still lives, not functioning," explained the Garbageman. "We would attract too much attention stealing high tech scientific equipment but with a few modifications using the items we have stolen, this cyborg can be repaired and the Turtles along with any of their friends will be recycled."

The Garbageman beckoned for a couple of the Junk Troopers who were scientifically inclined to assist him in his attempts to get Captain Dread back online. It would take a bit of time and extensive repair because of the damage the intergalactic bounty hunter cyborg suffered during his fight with Harry Potter.

Outside, Harry peeked around the corner as the police crowded the bank, their attention seemed to be preoccupied by the robbery, but still there wasn't any way Harry would take any unnecessary chances and the Battle Shell was parked across the street, so it wasn't like they could leave it to be impounded.

"Coast is clear, let's get across the street without any incident," muttered Harry.

"Yeah, that'd be a first," remarked Raph as the Turtles and Harry carefully made their way across the street, while sticking to the shadows and made their way right to the Battle Shell without incident.

Back in the junk yard, the Junk Troopers put the finishing touches on Captain Dread, working as quickly as possible.

"Your Highness, the cyborg is starting to activate," informed one of the Junk Troopers.

"Excellent," spat the Garbageman, as the arm of Captain Dread began to come to life and the cyborg began to completely stir into consciousness.

"Where am I?" demanded Captain Dread in a cold, unfeeling voice before he looked at the Garbageman with disgust. "Who are you?"

"I've found you in this garbage dump, having been nearly crushed by a trash compactor," explained the Garbageman. "As for me, you may address me as the Garbageman."

Captain Dread just sat there, he remembered very little of what happened in this strange world, his brain having been slightly damaged by being crushed with the compactor.

"I didn't have you revived for the purposes of idle conversation, I revived you for a more broad purpose," said the Garbageman. "There are four shell backed thorns in my side that I must eliminate for this city to be remodeled into my own image. You will pick up the Turtles for me, but do not destroy them, the honors of trashing them will be mine and mine alone."

"What makes you think I'll work for a fat, disgusting slob like you?" challenged Captain Dread as he got up.

"Because I resurrected you, trash," grunted the Garbageman. "Also, I reactivated you, I inserted a self destruct module that will blow you to bits should you step out of line. Amusing what these fools in the city would throw away, isn't it?"

Captain Dread had prepared to clobber the Garbageman but the Garbageman held up a remote control device with a red button.

"Very well, I will capture these…Turtles for you," said Dread, as he stared at the Garbageman.

"I'd knew you'd see this my way," replied the Garbageman. "Go forth now and don't come back without those Turtles."

On the roads of New York, the Battle Shell nearly skidded out of control a couple of times, as Raph struggled to maintain control of the wheel as he drove the vehicle.

"Watch it, Raph!" cautioned Leo. "You want the police right behind us."

"It's not my fault that the shortcut road to the warehouse was blocked off, I'm not used to taking the long way around," responded Raph as he managed to get the Battle Shell straightened up before he shot down the road.

"We shouldn't be too far now, should we?" asked Mikey.

"No, just a couple more blocks," responded Harry. "I think at least."

A large, imposing figure swooped in front of them, as he grabbed the front of the Battle Shell and caused it to grind to a stop.

"What is that thing?" asked Mikey, as the windows iced up, preventing them from seeing the figure.

"I don't know," grunted Raph. "But whatever it is, he stopped us in our tracks."

"Try and gun it Raph!" suggested Don.

"It's floored right now!" fired back Raph.

"Yet, you can't even cause it to slide on the ice," remarked Harry. "Let's get out and move it."

"Right," confirmed Leo, as Raph shut off the Battle Shell, before he joined Don, Mikey, Leo, and Harry on the outside where Captain Dread.

"So come out and play have we!" announced Captain Dread in a sinister voice.

"Captain Dread," said Harry in a surprised voice. "It can't be, you were crushed to death…"

"You seem to know an awful lot about…I remember now!" shouted Captain Dread as he raised his arms. "You're the one who attempted to off me, now I'm going to return the favor."

"Scatter!" ordered Leo and sure enough everyone did to avoid the attack of Captain Dread who sent a pair of miniature missiles right at the five brothers.

"Struggle if you might, you can't stop me!" shouted Dread and Harry managed to dodge an electrified net that nearly fried a hole through a nearby building and sent a blasting spell towards Dread, but it barely dented the metal of the cyborg.

Captain Dread leapt up, casually knocked the four Turtles to the side as they attempted to mount an attack, before he grabbed Harry and threw him to the ground.

"Hang on Harry!" shouted Raph as he tossed his Sais in an attempt to dismantle Dread as he aimed a plasma blaster fastened to his form right at Harry's head. Dread spun around and melted Raph's Sais out of thin air, causing them to crumble to dust.

"Your toys are useless," remarked Dread coldly before his chest plate swung open and shot thick cords out, which wrapped around Raph, before they sent an electric pulse through the turtle.

Leo attempted to slice his way through the cords but his sword conducted the electricity which shocked Leo before blasted him backwards.

Don sprung up next, but Dread caught his Bo Staff, before he flipped Don right to his back and kicked the brainy terrapin right in the side, sending him skidding down the ice.

Mikey was next and he swung his nunchucks towards Dread but they bounced off the solid metal crumbling from the impact. Dread spun around and knocked Mikey down, before he blasted Mikey hard, knocking him unconscious with a stun ray.

Harry made his way towards the Battle Shell, before he pulled it open and began to press a button on the council but Dread grabbed Harry by the hair and pulled him backwards, just as a missile perched on top of the battle shell swung towards Dread and aimed right at his chest, exploding on impact.

"Didn't even scratch the surface," remarked Dread and Harry tossed a pair of shuriken at Dread but he casually batted him off. "Toys, you try and beat me with toys, how pathetic."

Dread calmly struck Harry with the palm of his hand and Harry was sent backwards.

Leo and Don looked up, with Raph and Mikey unconscious, Harry looked to be moments away from being that way, as Dread hoisted him up, before he pummeled Harry with a series of rapid fire punches.

"If we double team him, we might be able to take him out," replied Leo.

"When a missile couldn't!" exclaimed Don.

"We have no choice, Harry's in trouble," ordered Leo and Don nodded, before they leapt up and attacked Dread, barely backing him off with a tandem assault and causing him to drop Harry.

Dread stepped back, before he sent a jet of yellow laser fire at the two Turtles but Leo managed to deflect it with his sword. The laser bounced back wards Dread, who managed to dodge out of the way and a window was broken in front of them.

Seconds later, as Harry managed to struggle his way to his feet, an explosion went off from the laser fire feedback, as it struck some highly explosive chemicals in the building behind them

Unfortunately, Harry was caught full force in the face with the explosion!

"HARRY!" yelled Leo and Don in unison as they prepared to rush over to their fallen brother but Dread dodged in front of before he pointed his stun ray at them.

"Time to finish you two off," remarked Dread but his laser didn't seem to be working. "No matter, I'll take the two I've subdued and come back for you two later once I iron out this minor flaw"

"What makes you think we'll let you go?" asked Don.

"This," answered Captain Dread as he pointed his plasma blaster over towards the area of the snow where Harry just managed to roll over, his hands placed over his eyes and screams of agony coming from him. In a second, Dread placed a ring of fire around Harry using his plasma blaster before he made his way over and picked up Raph and Mikey, before he moved off. "I'll be back."

Don and Leo reached over, as Don leapt over fire, with Leo using his swords to break some of the ice, before he flipped it over and doused the fire.

"The pain, it feels like burning, I can't see," muttered Harry in an agonized voice as Don and Leo half carried Harry towards the Battle Shell.

"Harry, we really need to get you to a hospital," said Leo.

"No, no hospital, got to stop Captain Dread," replied Harry in an agonized voice.

"Harry, this isn't just a mild injury, you said you can't see!" yelled Leo in a forceful voice.

"Then Mum, studying to be a healer, Muggles can't fix it, Mum might be able to," said Harry before as held his eyes, moaning in agony. "Raph and Mikey are in danger, need to get this fixed."

"We drop him off at Lily's, and get Master Splinter, because he might be able to help us find Mikey and Raph," suggested Don who looked worried.

"Yes, that would be good," agreed Leo, as he barely managed to keep his hands steady and on the wheel of the Battle Shell as drove towards the Potter Residence.

Mikey opened his eyes groggily and it took him almost a minute to register that he was hanging from a support system in a trash bag of some sort. The mutant turtle attempted to struggle free but found escape to be impossible and he looked over to see Raph was in a similar predicament, also attempting to struggle free.

"You can struggle but you will not get free, those trash bags were designed to hold up under heavy amounts of damage," remarked the Garbageman as he made his way over, propelled by his metallic spider leg platform.

"You better let us out or I'll…" started Raph but Garbageman cut him off.

"You'll do nothing, mutant," grunted the Garbageman. "Once the cyborg is recharged and he goes after your two other filthy brothers, you Turtles will be recycled in my state of the art facility."

The Garbageman gave a cold, high laugh, as he sent spit everywhere.

Lily walked down from the attic, after a hard days work up on the long term project that she kept up there. She stopped, hearing a knock at the door. A knock that sounded rather urgent so Lily quickened her footsteps and swung the door open.

She stepped back in horror, as she saw Donatello and Leonardo, who had half carried her son, Harry to the door, who was clutching his face and screaming in agony.

"What the hell happened!" cried Lily in an absolutely horrified voice, as she had never seen Harry show any signs of agony.

"Lily, we got into a scuffle with some guy called Captain Dread, he captured Raph and Mikey, Harry was caught in an explosion and he says he can't see," explained Leo quickly as Lily grabbed Harry before she lead Harry over to the couch.

"I know, you need to go find Raphael and Michelangelo, I understand," said Lily absent mindedly as she gently pried Harry's hands away from his eyes, as they looked all puffy and reddened, with pus oozing out. "Harry keep your hands down please, I need to run some tests on your eyes to see exactly how much damage has been done to them."

After a few moments of extensive tests, Lily sighed in relief.

"Thankfully the damage wasn't as extensive as it could have been, painful yes, but nothing that can't be fixed with a simple optical repair potion," replied Lily. "Thankfully I have all the necessary ingredients here, so it will take me only thirty minutes to brew and within the next few hours, your vision will completely return. For now, this should give you some relief."

Lily bandaged Harry's eyes to prevent them from suffering any further damage.

"Now Harry, it's absolutely essential that you keep your eyes covered until the potion is done, otherwise, there is a strong chance you might be permanently blinded," said Lily

"Yes, Mum, I understand," answered Harry in a deflated voice, but he was preoccupied with the fact that Raph and Mikey looked to be in grave danger, and he couldn't shake the feeling that Leo, Don, and Master Splinter.

"Good, I'll send your sister down here to make sure you don't leave, before I go and brew the potion," replied Lily as Harry heard his mother leave the room.

"Hailey preventing me from doing something stupid, that's like the blind leading the blind," muttered Harry to himself.

Back in the city, Don and Leo had rejoined their search for their two missing brothers on foot, with Master Splinter now joining them. They had been searching for close to a half hour after they dropped Harry off.

In an instant, Master Splinter stopped in his tracks.

"What is it, Sensei?" asked Leo.

"They are close, I can sense it, we must keep walking," replied Splinter.

"Raph and Mikey aren't the only things that are close," said Don as Captain Dread stepped in front of them, with Leo and Don withdrawing their weapons and stood in a battle stance, with Master Splinter looking ready for battle.

"Round two, mutants," declared Captain Dread coldly as he aimed his weapons at Leo, Don, and Master Splinter before he shot thick shackles from a chest plate right at Don. Don managed to block the first pair of shackles but two more pairs shot out, which snapped Don's arms and legs together. A blast from the stun ray put Don to sleep.

"Leonardo, attempt to get behind him, while I'll try a frontal attack," muttered Master Splinter and Leo nodded, before he dodged behind Dread but Dread spun around with speed before a blast with his plasma blaster knocked Leo's katana out of his hands before a stun ray blast knocked Leo completely unconscious.

"So it's just you, rodent," said Captain Dread and Master Splinter nodded, before he leapt up over Captain Dread, before he landed firmly behind him. Dread turned around, and attempted to aim the stun laser at Master Splinter, but Splinter dodged, before he caught Dread with a glancing kick. Dread backed up a couple inches and Splinter leapt behind Dread and grabbed him from behind in an attempt to flip him over.

Dread brought his elbow right into the face of the mutant rodent forcefully. Splinter was stunned and Dread calmly spun around, before his chest plate opened and shot a net outwards, wrapping Splinter up.

"I must compliment you rodent, you came close to giving me a slight challenge," replied Dread coldly as Splinter attempted to chew his way out of the net, but an electrical surge of energy zapped the rat, causing him to become unconscious.

Without further adieu, Dread prepared to take Leo, Don, and Master Splinter to the Garbageman so he could dispose of them.

"Mum, I can feel something happening," remarked Harry as he had finished the potion that his mother had brewed for him.

"Good, it works," said Lily who sounded rather relived, as there were times where potions didn't work at it's fullest. "In a couple of hours, two at the very least, seven or eight at the most, you should have your vision completely restored. It really depends on how well quickly the potion is enhanced with the strength of your magic."

"So, it really shouldn't take all too long at all, considering Harry's one of the most powerful wizards in the world," remarked Hailey.

"We can only wait and see," replied Lily.

"I hate waiting," grumbled Harry.

"Yes, well, call for me if you have any side effects," said Lily.

"There is a chance of side effects?" asked Harry in a horrified voice.

"There's always a chance, but I think I brewed that potion well enough that there shouldn't be, but still stay right there and don't move," answered Lily.

Harry heard his mother leave as he sank onto the couch, entombed in the darkness that he would have deal with until the potion took its effect.

Minutes later, Harry's mirror began to heat up in his pocket and he reached around for a few moments, before he found it.

"Prepare that trash for the recycling process!" grunted a voice over the mirror.

"Harry, what is it?" asked Hailey.

"Garbageman, I have captured those four Turtles along with the rat, so the least you could do is allow me to leave," suggested Captain Dread.

"No, I still have uses for you and remember, all it takes one button before you are turned into scrap metal," answered the Garbageman.

"They're in trouble," hissed Hailey. "Maybe I should…"

"Stay here," replied Harry as he managed to tap his wand to his mirror and managed to get a fix on the location.

"Harry, you can't do this, you're just recovering from behind temporary blinded," said Hailey.

"Salazar Slytherin's theory that Parseltongues don't have problems in the darkness might need to be tested," answered Harry calmly.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Hailey.

"Snakes have a six sense, the ability to sense the body heat of prey even in complete darkness," explained Harry quickly. "In his journal, Slytherin theorized that Parseltongues receive a similar sixth sense due to their close affinity with snakes."

"That might make sense but do cyborgs even have body heat?" asked Hailey.

"There is still a bit of human flesh in all of that metal, should be enough to keep up with him," answered Harry. "And now I know where they are, so…"

"Harry, Mum gave me explicit instructions that you shouldn't leave and really this time agree, you could permanently damage your vision before the potion has a chance to repair it, just tell someone else and let them help." said Hailey.

"Not enough time," argued Harry and Hailey sighed before she made a movement to stun her brother for his own good but Harry activated his Portus-Amulet and was a second too quick for Hailey, even when he was still blind.

"Mum, please get down here, Harry left to do something really stupid!" shouted Hailey.

"Wake up mutants, I want you to see your destruction!" shouted the Garbageman.

"Dude, two words, breath mint," muttered Mikey.

"Laugh down mutants but you'll soon be permanently dealt with," responded the Garbageman as he pointed his large arm over to a piece of machinery that the Turtles were suspended above. "This apparatus can grind any material into the stuffing used in stuffed animals. Once I pull this lever, you will be dropped down onto the conveyor belt which will transport you to the blades. Revenge will be sweet as I finally see you four, along with that meddlesome rodent done in."

"I don't think so, Garbageman!" shouted Harry Potter as he arrived his eyes still bandaged heavily as he groped around the air as he walked forward.

"Child, you're no threat to me, you're as blind as a bat," taunted the Garbageman as he watched Harry take a few uncertain steps forward. "Still, Dread dispose of him."

Dread stepped forward as the Garbageman moved forward before he pulled the switch which shifted the Turtles and Master Splinter over, before the trash bags containing the mutants were dropped on the conveyor belt. With another switch pull, the conveyor belt jerkily moved forward and the blades began to gain momentum.

"You've made a grave mistake coming here in your condition," remarked Dread coldly as he aimed his plasma blaster at Harry and attempted to cut a hole through him but Harry put up a powerful shield charm which redirected Dread's attack.

"Come on, is that all you got, bolts for brains?" taunted Harry.

Dread whipped several tentacle like devices outward which Harry sensed that something with electricity was coming his way. With a whip of his wand, he conjured a wall of water and the cords touched in, sending electricity back towards Dread and the cyborg flew backwards.

"We need to get out of here and soon," said Don frantically.

"I've been working on this blasted bag since we've got here and nothing," fired Raph backwards.

"My sons, I have a plan," replied Master Splinter. "But sufficient to say, we need to rely on Harry to do it."

"In his condition," said Leo darkly as he watched Captain Dread shoot a net forward but Harry managed to shred it with a powerful slicing spell before he unwittingly slid forward on the accumulated ice on the ground and lost his balance, crashing to the ground.

"Now I've got you," said Dread as he picked up Harry by the throat and began to squeeze the life out of him.

"My son, there is a magnet behind you, attempt to summon it!" shouted Master Splinter.

Harry cursed, he had dropped his wand in the confusion and he concentrated, attempting to use wandless magic in an attempt to will the magnet towards him even though that type of magic was next to impossible without being able to see the target.

Still, Harry's will power was stronger than most and the magnet flew into his hand.

"Fool, you think that puny thing is going to put a dent in me," remarked Captain Dread but Harry raised the magnet and it began to disrupt the computer processors of his cybernetic interface.

"Master Splinter, I hate to be a downer, but in a few seconds, this thing will grind me up!" shouted Mikey as the end of his garbage bag was precious inches away from going over the edge of the conveyor belt.

In an instant, Harry listened carefully for the location of the slicing apparatus and when he did, in a surprising burst of strength, he flipped Dread over his head and caused him to land right into the slicing apparatus. While he couldn't be damaged, it did jam the machinery.

"Get that cyborg out of there so I can terminate those Turtles!" ordered the Garbageman and the Junk Troopers moved over, just as Harry found his wand.

Sensing their movement, Harry darted to the side, managing to keep his balance before he stood in front them.

"Just run him over, he's blind remember!" spat the Garbageman.

"Of course your highness," remarked the Junk Trooper as he aimed a punch at Harry who managed to duck as he sensed the incoming hit coming and leapt up, before he aimed a kick in the air. A loud scream indicated that Harry had connected with some body part.

Two other Junk Troopers attempted to shock Harry with their sticks but Harry managed to duck underneath, before he kicked them out of the way. A fourth Junk Trooper made his way in, but Harry grabbed his arm and flipped him before he leapt on his face and Harry then concentrated hard before he somersaulted over the remaining Junk Troopers and quickly pointed his wand forward.

Before the Junk Troopers could grab him, Harry transfigured the trash bag material into something weaker which allowed Leo, Mikey, Don, Raph, and Master Splinter to break free and leap in front of the Junk Troopers.

"Take care of the Junk Troopers, I'll take care of the big guy," suggested Harry and before they could argue, Harry moved forward, as the Garbageman made a getaway as quick as his metallic spider legs could carry him but Harry leapt in front of him.

"What's the hurry, the fun's just getting started?" inquired Harry as the sounds of combat echoed in the distance involving the Turtles and Master Splinter against the Junk Troopers.

"Impudent brat," retorted the Garbageman as he shot one of his metallic legs forward in an attempt to gut Harry but Harry managed to avoid it, before he sliced it off with his weapon.

In the distance, Captain Dread, severely scratched up managed to pull himself up before he removed the razor sharp blades and rushed at them in an attempt to rip Harry to shreds with them.

"Harry, duck!" yelled Leo as he managed to knock one of the Junk Troopers down.

Harry managed to move out of the way of the razor blades as they sailed over his head. Captain Dread moved forward and punched Harry hard.

Harry struggled to his feet and Dread pulled him up, before he ripped Harry's bandages off, exposing his eyes.

Much to his surprise, Harry's vision was blurry for a second but existent and seconds later, Harry could see could see clearly, not a moment too soon.

Harry caught Dread by surprised by aiming both of his feet in his chest which knocked him backwards. He dodged an attempt by Dread's extended arms, before he pulled the remote control device from the Garbageman's hands.

"The self destruct button I presume?" suggested Harry and Captain Dread made a movement forward, but Harry leapt out of reach, before he pressed the self destruct button.

"NO!" shouted Dread as an electrical shock flew coursed through his body, before he crumbled into a pile of parts.

Harry stepped over and sure enough, there was no sign of movement, Captain Dread was finished.

The Turtles and Master Splinter moved over, with all of the Junk Troopers knocked unconscious.

"Now, it's your turn, Garbageman!" shouted Raph as took a menacing step forward.

"Fools, you might have won this round, but you trash haven't heard the last of minute!" responded the Garbageman as a large drill came from the bottom of his platform before it burrowed into the ground, allowing the Garbageman a quick escape.

"We can't let him get away!" yelled Raph desperately, as he attempted to move over but the Garbageman had disappeared below the ground.

"Raph, he's gotten away," replied Leo in a defeated voice.

"Do not despair my sons, this Garbageman is more resourceful than his appearance would indicate," said Master Splinter in a reassuring voice. "I have a feeling we may meet him all too soon."

The others nodded reluctantly as they took the parts of Captain Dread to destroy them so no one could resurrect him again.

"Harry, what you did today was really reckless but since everything came out okay, I can't really yell at you too much," lectured Lily as she tested Harry's repaired eyes for any side effects. "Just don't let me catch you do anything reckless like that again."

"Fine, Mum, I won't catch you catch me do anything reckless ever again," replied Harry calmly which caused Hailey to break out into loud, insane giggles.

"The key words of course being that Harry won't catch you do it," remarked Hailey.

"If Mum wasn't testing my eyes, I'd so glare at you right now," said Harry.

"Just a second, almost done," confirmed Lily before she backed off. "Well Harry, the potion worked better than I could ever thought. Your eyesight is not only repaired but now completely perfect."

"Really, that's great," said Harry who looked pleased that his short time in darkness was a mere memory and he decided to try to take it as easy as possible before he would return to Hogwarts.


	25. Chapter 25: Life Goes On

**Chapter Twenty Five: Life Goes On:**

It was just the morning before the day that Harry and Hailey, along with the other students at the school had to return to Hogwarts and the Potters had spent the day at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place visiting Sirius.

"Yes, it's been depressing around here lately, Remus had time to stop by a couple of times," remarked Sirius. "That research project that you gave him is taking up a lot of time."

"It has to be done, Sirius," replied Harry.

"I know, believe me, and if it cures Remus, along with taking away Voldemort's most deadly weapons, then I'm all for it," said Sirius, waving off Harry. "Still, only with just Kreacher here and he's only here because Regulus ordered him to stay no matter what."

"Has Regulus ever been by, I've given him the address," said Lily which caused Harry, Hailey, and Sirius to all look at her incredulously. "You two obviously have issues to work out from your childhood Sirius, and your brother was pushed right towards Voldemort, but he didn't have the sense to run away like you did."

"Still he joined Voldemort," answered Sirius stubbornly.

"And he sold out the lair to the Squib Inquisition," added Harry coldly. "All the information he gave me was valuable but really vague. We're no closer to finding any other Horcruxes, hell, we don't know what Voldemort's sixth Horcrux is."

"On another note, I have both good news and bad news," replied Lily. "The good news is, we have a pretty good idea where Peter is."

"Great, go get him!" exclaimed Sirius but he saw Lily's stern look. "And I guess the bad news might complicate this."

"This Death Eater that we captured, the same one that got released by the Ministry due to a technicality, told us that Peter's with Voldemort nearly every moment," said Lily which caused Sirius to look very sour.

"He keeps slipping through our fingers," muttered Sirius. "And now that he's with Voldemort constantly, it doesn't look like we can clear my name anytime soon."

"That's not the only problem, we're not sure exactly where Voldemort is," added Harry. "I suspect he has many places where he could be."

"So, enough about my diminishing hopes to get my name cleared," said Sirius. "What's been going on with you over the last few months?"

With that, Lily, Harry, and Hailey informed Sirius of what had happened over the past few months since they talked last until they had to leave at ten thirty to so Harry and Hailey could catch the train on time to return to Hogwarts.

Hailey and Harry boarded the train, as Lily returned to Hogwarts to prepare to attend a staff meeting that would take place in the afternoon.

"Harry, Hailey!" shouted Ginny and the two Potter siblings walked over to join Ginny. Ginny engulfed Harry in a hug, before kissing him. Both of the teenagers got lost in the moment, until Hailey calmly cleared her throat which caused them to break apart." Anyway I've been looking for Daphne and Theodore everywhere, I'm pretty sure they're on the train by now, how are you two?"

"I'm good," replied Harry. "The break was relatively quiet, only that one Death Eater I told you about the other day along with a couple of minor inconveniences."

"Same here," agreed Hailey.

"Let's get onto the train, it should be leaving in a few minutes," suggested Harry and his sister and girlfriend nodded, before the trio made their way onto the train and walked down all of the compartments, stopping briefly to talk to several students before they found Daphne and Theodore deep in talk.

"Oh, Harry, Hailey, Ginny, hello," said Daphne. "Did you here about the latest attack?"

"No, I haven't been paying attention to the news today," said Harry and Ginny and Hailey shook their heads as well.

"Well yesterday night, Ministry Aurors found the remains of Mad-Eye Moody," explained Theodore.

"Death Eaters killed one of the greatest Aurors that ever lived!" cried Ginny who looked extremely alarmed.

"Yes, but Moody didn't go down without a fight, he's really a credit to the Slytherin house," remarked Daphne. "There were several other body parts found in the house that didn't belong to Moody so the Ministry suspects he might have taken out at least five, maybe as many as seven or eight Death Eaters before they finished him off. There is a rumor going that Voldemort was the one who dealt the final blow."

"It would have taken an army to take out Moody, because he's said to have all kinds of magical defenses to alert him of intruders," added Theodore. "The thing is Moody is retired..."

"He's one of the more vocal supporters about strict action against Voldemort and his followers, but unfortunately he's loyal to Dumbledore," replied Harry bitterly, who had briefly entertained the notion of inviting Moody to join the Resistance Group but decided against it do the man's strong ties to Voldemort. "I have an idea why Voldemort killed Moody. He wanted to send a message to everyone, that no one is safe, not even a legendary Auror."

"Makes perfect sense, just Voldemort radiating more fear," admitted Daphne. "And if Voldemort decides to do a full takeover of the Ministry…"

"He'll have the center of the magical world in his grasp," said Ginny darkly.

"Voldemort will make his move for his hostile takeover when he's ready, the thing is, I've got to make sure that there are as few innocent people caught in the crossfire as possible," said Harry.

"We'll have to make sure," amended Ginny in a defiant voice and Harry nodded reluctantly.

"Harry, I need to speak to you for a moment," said Theodore suddenly, as events over the holidays had prompted him that he better tell Harry of his predicament sooner rather than later. "In private, please."

"Of course, Theodore," said Harry slowly, who was caught off guard by his friend's sudden burst and the three girls looked at him curiously, as the two boys walked into an empty compartment.

Harry waved his wand, putting up a silencing ward around the compartment.

"Harry, my father gave me an ultimatum over the summer," said Theodore quickly.

"Given that your father is a Death Eater, I have a pretty good idea what that is," answered Harry. "Still, I'll let you confirm my suspicions."

"He told me that either I betray you and join Voldemort, or both Mum and I will be killed," replied Theodore grimly. "As you can imagine that puts me in a tight spot."

"Your father never had much interest in you, in fact he left you and your mother when you were seven," said Harry.

"Correct, but it's because of that stupid pact that him and several others made with Voldemort," informed Theodore.

"Pact, what pact?" asked Harry, this was the first he'd ever heard of such a thing.

"It wouldn't have mattered if Voldemort had been resurrected," added Theodore bitterly. "But my father, along with Dolohov, MacNair, Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, Lucius Malfoy, and maybe a couple of others had pledged their first born sons to Voldemort, as some of their fathers had before them."

Harry racked his brain, a MacNair had left last year, there was an Avery in seventh year right now, he didn't know if Avery had any other children older than that, and Dolohov's son left during Harry's second year. Of course Harry knew Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco Malfoy all too well.

"It's called a dark bargain pact, I believe," continued Theodore. "Voldemort has agreed to spare their families in exchange for their first born son taking the mark."

Harry stood deep in concentration.

"You didn't want to tell me this, did you?" asked Harry. "Something that happened recently over the holidays prompted you to tell me, right Theodore?"

"Unfortunately," admitted Theodore bitterly. "Father was enraged that I still hadn't given him a straight answer, so Mum was attacked."

Harry's eyes widened in horror, at the lengths one Steven Nott would go force his son to join the ranks of the Death Eaters.

"She'll live, at least that's what the healers said, she's in intensive care in St. Mungos right now," said Theodore. "Father told me that he would have no reservations about finishing the job if I don't make the acceptable choice. He doesn't give a damn about my mother, he cheated on her with much younger women, barely out of Hogwarts, and wouldn't give a damn about me either unless he had this pact either."

Harry remained silent.

"So, I guess I'm going to ask you what should I do, Harry?" asked Theodore.

"First, it might be a good idea that we move your mother to an undisclosed location, so your father can't finish the job just in case you decide to not join the Death Eaters," replied Harry and Theodore nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean just in case, of course I'm not going to join the Death Eaters," said Theodore.

"I'm confident you'll make the right choice for you and not your father or even me," replied Harry in a cryptic voice as Theodore opened his mouth but Harry shook his head. "I've given you my advice, now let's rejoin the others in the train compartment."

Theodore nodded calmly as he followed Harry back into the compartment to rejoin the others to talk about less depressing subjects, like Quidditch.

Draco Malfoy made his way up to Albus Dumbledore's office for his weekly meeting with the Headmaster. The young Malfoy heir had gotten a rather interesting picture of the Headmaster during these visits and it seemed Dumbledore attempted with each passing time to earn Draco's trust. The truth was Draco didn't trust Dumbledore at all as something about the old man seemed rather fake. Slytherins were known for deception, cunning, and manipulation. Even Potter, as much as Draco loathed to admit it, had certain qualities that were in common with an ideal Slytherin, despite the fact that some of his beliefs were disgusting.

At least with Slytherins, they didn't shield their distance for certain groups, Mudbloods being the most obvious. Dumbledore on the other hand, seemed to harbor a deep resentment towards anything Slytherin, but he had went out of his way to attempt to convince Draco that they were on the same side.

"Chocolate Frog," muttered Draco and the gargoyle sprung open and Draco walked forward, before he knocked on the door.

"Enter," prompted the voice of Albus Dumbledore and Draco made his way inside, to see Snape and Dumbledore just finishing off a conversation.

"Professor Snape, I didn't expect you to be here," remarked Draco in a surprised voice.

"I was just leaving, good day Draco," said Snape, briefly acknowledging Draco to be there before he left the office.

Draco sat down in front of Dumbledore and Dumbledore calmly looked at him with his deep blue eyes.

"So, Draco, how were your holidays?" asked Dumbledore.

"Peaceful," answered Draco shortly.

"Lemon Drop?" suggested Dumbledore calmly.

"No thank you, Professor," replied Draco coolly, as he wouldn't have been surprised if Dumbledore had drugged the lemon drops in an attempt to bend people to his beliefs.

"Too bad, they are quite a delectable treat," said Dumbledore. "So, I assume that you have heard the latest about Harry Potter."

"The fact that the Daily Prophet might be painting him as a threat on the level of Voldemort?" asked Draco and Dumbledore nodded. "Professor, I know Potter all too well and he cares too much to turn into Voldemort. It would defeat the purpose of all his hard work."

"Draco, we must consider the fact that this could be a front for a more sinister purpose and he has gotten into the good graces with most of the younger students in this school, not to mention a good portion of the population would follow him to the death," said Dumbledore calmly. "If they could be trained up, Mr. Potter may have a decent size army that could overrun us all and he would have complete control."

Draco kept his face neutral, as Dumbledore would naturally be against Potter, because Potter had refused to be the idealist Gryffindor golden boy that Dumbledore had hoped for. While he still didn't like Potter one bit, Draco grudgingly respected Potter's ability to see that Dumbledore wasn't the great wizard that many had foolishly believed him to be.

"As I've said before, that could be true Headmaster, it may be a good idea to keep a close eye on Potter then, which I suspect you may be doing," said Draco.

"I may be, Draco," replied Dumbledore. "Is there anything else you would like to tell me at all Draco?"

"No Headmaster," said Draco in a flat voice.

"Very well then, I'll let you know when our next meeting is," replied Dumbledore, a slight bit of irritation evident in his voice but Draco disregarded it, making his way from Dumbledore's office as quickly as possible.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his frustration slowly mounted. Draco Malfoy seemed to be a bit more difficult to manipulate than he had previously thought. His failure of molding Potter for his plans had stung Dumbledore greatly, but Malfoy seemed rather disinterested in the idea of Potter being a threat. In fact, Dumbledore had even had the belief that Draco Malfoy found the idea that Harry Potter to have the potential to be an evil on the level of Voldemort to be highly laughable.

Still Dumbledore needed Draco Malfoy's body or everything that he had worked on for over a century would be up in smoke. A younger body would allow Dumbledore to find a way to return to greater power, as his main body was rapidly turning to dust and this Inferius puppet routine could only go on for maybe seven or eight more months at the very most, as it strained what little power Dumbledore was able to summon in his rapidly decaying primitive form.

The teachers at Hogwarts seemed to want to make up for lost time after the winter holiday, as they assigned a great deal of homework to the sixth year students. Even Lily, who didn't give out mandatory homework, took steps to accelerate their learning, drilling advanced dueling techniques into their heads, fitting enough material to fill two or three class periods into one class. With each class, many sixth years felt their brains were worked to capacity. Even Harry, who had far more pressing matters to worry about then school work, found himself a bit overwhelmed by the great amount of work that the sixth years got. Granted, Harry still managed to find ways to get everything done as soon as possible, a bit sooner than everything else but it took much more time. That was on top of the fact that he was helping Ginny prepare for her O.W.Ls and the supplementary Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.

Academics were not the only aspect of Hogwarts that Harry put a bit of time and energy into. The Slytherin Quidditch Game with Ravenclaw was fast approaching and from what Harry heard, the Ravenclaws were determined to win their first Quidditch Cup in fifty three years. As Harry had constantly told his team, they couldn't underestimate the Ravenclaw team. While no individual players stood out, as a team, Ravenclaw would be a tough challenge. Harry managed to schedule three practices per week around everything else at Hogwarts.

"They're flying really well this year, you shouldn't put too much pressure on them Harry," said Ginny as the two returned to Hogwarts.

"They are, I'll properly inflate their heads after the season is over," replied Harry. "Two more games and it'll be an end of an era."

"Harry, why are you resigning from the team after this year anyway?" asked Ginny. "I thought you wanted to be a Professional Quidditch player."

"I do, more than anything else in the world, if I survive Voldemort," stated Harry and with that Ginny put her hands on her hips, before she looked at Harry with an incredulous looks. "I mean when I survive Voldemort, but next year I might not return to Hogwarts, so someone else might have to take up the reigns as captain. That someone might be you"

"I'd love to Harry, but I'm going to be beside you regardless, no matter where you go against Voldemort" said Ginny.

"What if your mum forbids you to?" asked Harry.

"Liked that'd stop me," scoffed Ginny as she grabbed Harry's hand warmly. "I'm going to take any excuse to be with you that I'm going to get. I'm not going to be some girl who sits back and barely interacts with the love of her life, letting him get into dangerous situations. If he does, I will too. We're in this together, not just because of the bond, but because of our choices and our love for each other.

"And that's why I'm going to beat Voldemort," said Harry. "We'll practically married because of the bond but the minute Voldemort drops dead, I promise everything we'll be together legally in additionally to magically."

Ginny and Harry turned side to side, before they met in a passionate embrace and kissed for a few minutes, before the sound of approaching footsteps caused them to break up.

"Now, you don't need to cease your activities on my account," remarked Luna as she approached. "But since you don't seem to be as busy as you were a few seconds ago, I need to tell you something."

"How can we help you, Luna?" asked Harry.

"Oh it isn't for me, it's just that Ronald seems to have been looking for you but he's never been able to catch you, there's something urgent that he feels he needs to tell you," replied Luna.

"What would Ron want to tell you, Harry?" asked Ginny with a frown and Harry shrugged. "Did he say what it was Luna?"

"No, just that it was urgent," answered Luna. "I can take you two to him, he's waiting in the Great Hall right now."

"Yes, that would be for the best Luna," agreed Harry before he and Ginny followed Luna into Hogwarts and towards the Great Hall.

They saw Ron waiting.

"Ron, you said you wanted to speak to me," muttered Harry and Ron opened his mouth but Ginny elbowed him.

"Not here, the walls have ears," replied Ginny in a low voice which caused Harry to give Ginny an approving smile. She was learning well.

"I know of a place, I used to go there all the time to cry when people stole my stuff during my first few years," remarked Luna, the fact that she could talk about this so casually astounded Harry. "Of course, when I became friends with you, they seemed to magically stop. It's almost like they didn't want to upset me to the point that I'd tell you."

Harry allowed Luna to lead the way, with Ron and Ginny following closely behind. After a few minutes, Luna lead them inside and Harry closed the door behind them, before placing up several silencing charms along with a mild Confundus spell to send away any eavesdroppers.

"Is it safe to speak?" asked Ron and Harry responded with a nod. "I don't know exactly how to go about this, but Hermione's been acting really weird lately."

Ron waited for some kind of response from Harry but his face remained blank and devoid of all emotion. He saw a flash of anger appear in his sister's eyes that was quite frankly chilling.

"Continue," said Harry after a rather painful awkward silence.

"Well she's been shutting herself in the girl's dormitory for hours and hours, not talking to anyone and she looks like she wants to throw any person that approaches her off the Astronomy Tower," continued Ron. "Last time I talked to her, she threatened to hex me unless I stay out of her way."

Ron looked at Harry and reluctantly decided to tell him.

"Hermione might be delving into the dark arts too, Harry," added Ron. "Don't you find that alarming?"

"The fact that she's delving into them I don't find alarming but the reason she is may be a cause for concern," said Harry stiffly. "She's going to end up getting her head blown off against Bellatrix."

"It's obvious that you need to talk to her then," suggested Luna.

"Yes, talk to her, Luna, that'd be really great," answered Harry sarcastically. "Hello Hermione, I'm sorry that I was concerned for your well being, have fun getting murdered by Bellatrix."

"Harry, there's no need to take that tone, it was just a suggestion," said Luna.

"Sorry Luna, I've just been under a bit of stress lately," apologized Harry.

"Maybe you should take a vacation," said Ron which caused Harry to narrow his eyes at the youngest Weasley male back off slightly. "Right, anyway, do you think anything can be done about Hermione, maybe if you…"

"Hermione's not going to see reason after what she said, I mean she's stubborn, she held a grudge against you for years after we started speaking in a reasonably civil matter," said Harry. "I don't wish to speak of this subject anymore."

"I would think that you would take this more seriously, after all, didn't you say that you and Hermione were close like brother and sister?" asked Luna.

"We are," replied Harry stubbornly and Luna just nodded with interested, as she noted that Harry used the present test to answer her question, rather than the past.

"Siblings fight, no need to not to speak to her ever again," said Luna. "The longer you don't talk, the more strained your relationship would be."

Harry didn't respond but Ginny voiced something that had been eating away at her.

"She compared Harry to Lord Voldemort, don't forget that," hissed Ginny angrily. "After all we've been through, she should know better."

"Didn't it ever occur to you that someone might have messed with her mind when she was at St. Mungos or even Bellatrix when she attacked Hermione?" suggested Luna calmly.

"If that's the case, then it would explain a lot of things," admitted Harry, with Ginny nodded calmly.

"You're afraid to find out aren't you?" inquired Luna. "Just on the off chance that Hermione's new found ill feelings regarding you are one hundred percent genuine."

"Ron, if anything out of the ordinary happens with Hermione, find me or Ginny," said Harry, brushing off Luna's question.

"You mean you aren't going to talk to her," said Ron and Harry shook his head, causing Luna to look up at him what might have been disappointment. Harry turned away from both Ron and Luna, before he followed Ginny as the two left the room abruptly.

"Luna was right wasn't she," muttered Ginny. "You're afraid to know if Hermione's opinion was genuine or magically influenced."

"You know me better than just about anyone Ginny, what do you think?" replied Harry.

"Her attitude is causing you to be really irritable, isn't it?" asked Ginny. "I'm still mad at her for comparing you to him, but she is a bit like you at times."

"That's the entire problem," said Harry shortly. "Let's not talk about Hermione anymore, please."

"Fine, I have some homework I need to do before we settle in for the night," said Ginny.

"Take it down for the Slytherin library where you can do it in peace, I have a bit of research work to do down there anyway," suggested Harry and Ginny nodded in an agreeable manner, before the two teenagers went to an empty corridor, before Harry transported them to the library.

Out in the Quidditch Team, the Hufflepuff Team were awaiting Zacharias Smith, the current captain and he made his way out to the field, with a smug look on his face.

"Listen up, thanks to my great efforts that lead us to victory over Ravenclaw, we now have a chance to win the first Hufflepuff Quidditch Championship in nearly five hundred years," said Smith smugly as Hailey stood rigid, a dozen painful curses floating through her mind that she could use on Smith right now. How dare he take credit for her helping the Hufflepuff team come from behind against Ravenclaw? "And now before…"

"Hold it Smith, the other members of the team have been talking," interjected fifth year Chaser Elizabeth Martin.

"There's no need to worry about strategy Martin, I've got it handled," answered Smith with a smug smirk.

"We've had a meeting and we feel that your skills as captain aren't quite on par for what we need, especially once we have to go against the Slytherins," added the fourth year Chaser Gregory Quance.

"Well then I guess you're off the team, all six of you," said Smith coldly. "Potter set that precedent last year and I'm going to replace you all…"

"No Smith, we're not off the team, Professor Sprout has given us her full blessing to appoint a brand new captain because of your quite horrid management," argued Elizabeth. "I'd like to nominate the same person he took charge against Ravenclaw and lead us to victory, our very own star seeker, Hailey Potter!"

Hailey looked up as the others agreed.

Well, except for Smith who looked rather livid.

"You think she would make a better captain then me," replied Smith in an agitated voice.

"No of course we don't think that," said a third year Chaser Brent Vine. "We know she'll be a better captain."

"Plus Quidditch is in her blood, her father lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to four straight Quidditch championships and do I need to remind you of her brother, Harry, who is becoming just as well known for his Quidditch achievements as he is of his battles against You-Know-Who," concluded one of the beaters, a fifth year by the name of Ray Edwards.

"If you elect her for a captain, then I'm off the team," said Smith.

"If this gets him off the team, then I'll happily select the position of captain if you elect me," remarked Hailey.

"Then let's put this matter to a vote, all in favor of Hailey being the new Hufflepuff captain," announced Elizabeth and five hands went up. Smith threw his hands up into the air and stormed off, looking rather sour at being overthrown.

"For the record, I'm in favor of me being captain as well, I just didn't want to skew the vote, not that it mattered much," said Hailey which caused the other five teammates to laugh. "Practice is postponed as we are down one Chaser."

The others nodded.

"Elizabeth could you please do me a favor and post a notice that tryouts for a new Chaser will take place this weekend?" asked Hailey in a polite voice.

"Will do captain," said Elizabeth in a cheeky voice which caused Hailey to playfully swing at the fifth year girl as the Hufflepuff team made there way inside early.

Steven Nott made his way to the Dark Lord's throne room in the bowels of Salazar Tower with a bit of a nervous look on his face. In an instant, he kneeled before Voldemort, who sat over him with an indifferent look on his face.

"Speak, Nott," prompted Voldemort softly.

"My Lord, you know you suggested I'd use my son's mother as an example to make sure my son joins your ranks," said Nott nervously.

"Yes," answered Voldemort curtly. "I made it perfectly clear that you would not take this too far Nott."

"My Lord, I beg your forgiveness, she's still alive, barely, but she went missing from St. Mungos this morning," said Nott in a panicked voice.

"Missing, how does one go missing from a hospital?" asked Voldemort coldly before he realized. "Very clever, Potter."

"My Lord?" interjected Nott in a confused voice.

"None of your concern, Nott," said Voldemort softly. "She's been moved, much like Potter had done with the Hogwarts Mudbloods after we attacked the Granger girl."

Nott just stood there as Voldemort seemed to be going something over his head.

"The other's have committed, Nott, your son has not," replied Voldemort. "Since his mother his missing, we must use someone else to blackmail him into joining us."

"Daphne Greengrass," suggested Nott. "Her and Theodore were childhood friends, might be more now for all I know, I know for a fact that they went to the Yule Ball together."

"The Greengrass family is neutral but at the same time rather well connected," remarked Voldemort. "Their daughter might be friends with Harry Potter, but the family as a whole don't lean towards either side of the conflict. They also have a lot of political allies that might make my plans more difficult than it should be."

Voldemort looked at Nott chillingly

"Nott, remember this, your son is the only hold out from our bargain. He has to be marked before his seventeenth birthday or I might decide that your life isn't worth much to me," concluded Voldemort coldly. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Of course, my Lord," answered Nott in a timid voice.

"Then leave me," ordered Voldemort and Nott walked out, careful not to look urgent in leaving.

At Hogwarts the next day, Daphne, Theodore, Harry, and Ginny crowded in the Room of Requirement and looked extremely serious.

"Just got confirmation, saying that we moved her to a magical hospital in the United States," replied Harry as he handed Theodore a pendant. "This Portkey should allow you to visit her unlimited times for a year."

"Will Mum pull through?" asked Theodore.

"Theodore, you know that I'm not going to sugarcoat it right," said Harry and Theodore nodded. "The healers did everything they could, but because of the damage was done by dark curses, not much could be do to repair them. They said they'd do everything they can to make your mother's last few months as comfortable as possible."

"I still can't believe that your father attacked your mother," said Daphne in a disgusted voice.

"My father and a couple others, quite frankly I was afraid that might take it further than just attacking her with dark curses," replied Theodore as Daphne raised her eyebrows. "Dad put me in a body-bind and made me watch."

"You didn't tell me that they made you watch," said Harry incredulously.

"Harry, I didn't think you needed to know," replied Theodore in a stoic voice as Daphne grabbed his hand in a reassuring manner. "You have too much on your mind to worry about the fact that I might be traumatized by my father and his friends attacking my mother."

Harry just stood there, it was quite unfortunate that some of his more irritating qualities had rubbed off onto his friends. Namely a high regard for everyone but themselves

"Please tell me you won't do anything stupid, like go after your father," said Daphne, voicing what Harry wanted to say, but she knew Harry was rather reluctant to say after the Hermione diabolic.

"No I won't go after him," said Theodore coolly. "However, if we come face to face, I'm not going to let him roll over me."

"So I guess you've made your choice regarding your father's ultimatum," replied Harry.

"Yes," declared Theodore.


	26. Chapter 26: A Whole Lot of Quidditch

**Chapter Twenty Six: A Whole Lot of Quidditch:**

"Conditions look good outside, you've been training hard, if we stick to the plan, we should beat Ravenclaw," announced Harry to the other members of the Slytherin Quidditch Team during the last weekend of February. "So play as hard as we've been practicing and we should win this match no problem at all."

The other members of the team nodded, before they made their way up to the field, properly fired up and ready to play. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team stood on the other end of the field, with equally determined looks on their face.

"Welcome to the latest Quidditch battle between Ravenclaw and Slytherin," announced Hailey. "Slytherin is coming off a rather impressive victory over the Gryffindor team and has momentum on their side, but Ravenclaw needs to win this game to have a chance to win the Quidditch Cup. No doubt this will be a highly contested game as The Slytherin Team, lead by captain and seeker Harry Potter, along with chasers Ginny Weasley, Isabelle Martinez, and Victoria Knox, beaters Rob Turner and Jack Maff, and Keeper Blaise Zabini square off against the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, lead by captain and chaser Roger Davies, his fellow chasers Sara Harris and Rachael Smothers, Keeper Michael Corner, Beaters Rod Jefferies and Austin Stevens, and Chaser Cho Chang!"

"Captains shake hands," ordered Madam Hooch and with that out of the way, fifteen broomsticks shot up into the air, ready for the Quidditch game.

"We are off with Rachael having possession of the Quaffle for Ravenclaw, but not for long as Ginny darts in front of her with precision, the speed that caused the Quaffle to slip out of her hand and Isabelle shoots forward, before she picks up the Quaffle," said Hailey. "Beater Rod Jefferies closes in with the Bludger but she passes it above his head to Victoria Knox, who manages to shoot it forward, slipping past the Keeper and Slytherin is on the board with a ten to zero advantage so far."

Harry looked up for any sign of the snitch whatsoever but found none so far as he circled the game, watching a bit of a struggle for the Quaffle below before Ginny managed to fake out the Ravenclaw Keeper by dodging one way, before she shot the other.

"Slytherin pushes further ahead with that twenty to zero lead, but it's still anyone's game, as Ravenclaw looks to take control, in fact Sara Harris grabs the Quaffle, dodging underneath a Bludger, before she passes it to Rachael Samson, who manages to get it towards the veteran seventh year chaser and captain," informed Hailey. "Roger Davies manages to shoot it before the Slytherin Beaters can disarm it but Blaise darts forward, he saves the Quaffle before being put through and tosses it back into play, where Isabelle catches it and she darts forward, but Stevens hammers her with the Bludger, causing the Quaffle to fly up into the air. Ginny attempts to move forward, but she was out of position and Rachael has the Quaffle and aims it at an angle. Zabini reaches forward and it just slips through his arms. Goal for Ravenclaw but Slytherin is still in the lead, by a twenty to ten margin."

"Split your attack between our goal posts and the Chasers!" shouted Harry to Jack and Rob who nodded from above before doing what they were told to as Harry continued his hunt for the Snitch from above.

"The Captain gives some sound strategy, but will it be enough to deter the Ravenclaws in their comeback?" questioned Hailey. "The Quaffle is in the possession of Ravenclaw, but not for long as Victoria swoops in and grabs the Quaffle, before she attempts to score. No, Corner manages to block, before the Quaffle is bounced back into the game, and Ravenclaw has the Quaffle, no wait Slytherin has the Quaffle as Ginny darts in! She zooms forward, almost doing a cartwheel in mid air with her broom to dodge a Bludger and she gracefully adjusts herself before she throws all caution to the win and aims it towards. The Quaffle spirals in and yes, she scores the goal, bringing the Slytherin Quidditch advantage up thirty to ten points."

Harry looked over and saw the snitch floating a few feet. Carefully, Harry adjusted himself and made his way forward for the snitch.

"Harry's seen the snitch but it looks like Cho Chang has as well and she follows in pursuit, but she may very well never catch Harry in time as she has a great lead!" said Hailey in an excited voice.

"Slow him!" ordered Roger Davies to his beaters in a nervous voice and two Bludgers were hammered right towards Harry

"Two Bludgers right, but Harry swerves around them," said Hailey. "Unfortunately for Slytherin, it seems the snitch has vanished in the few seconds it took the seeker to dodge those Bludgers. In an attempt to make up for this near miss, Isabelle has the Quaffle and she attempts to score but Rachael manages to intercept it before the fourth year Chaser shoots forward, a Bludger nearly misses her but she loses the Quaffle in the process but Davies picks up the slack. The Quaffle aimed and Zabini prepares to block. The throw spirals past him and goes right through the center hoop, as Ravenclaw manages to close the gap. Slytherin is still in the lead thirty points as opposed to Ravenclaw's twenty."

The Quaffle bounced back and forth between both teams for several minutes, with neither team coming close to scoring for some time until Ravenclaw managed to slip by and score a goal after about ten minutes of intense back and forth action between the two teams.

"We are now tied up thirty to thirty, as after a shaky start, Ravenclaw looks to be making a bit of a comeback but we shall see if it lasts," remarked Hailey. "Slytherin looks to disagree as Victoria has the Quaffle. The Beaters are on her and she passes it behind her back to Ginny and the Ravenclaw Beaters close in on her, but the Slytherin Beaters swoop in to beat the Bludgers back and cover Ginny, before she aims the Quaffle and shoots it through. No, very near miss right now, as Corner catches it before he throws the Quaffle back into the game and Sara catches it, before she passes it to Roger and he carefully aims it. The Quaffle spirals towards the goal post but Zabini was ready this time and he passes the Quaffle back in. The race is on and Ginny swoops it to grab the Quaffle, she dives underneath a Bludger, twists around another Bludger and adjusts her positioning before she shoots forward. This time she will not be denied, as Corner misses blocking the Quaffle and the tie is broken, giving Slytherin the advantage forty points to thirty!"

Harry looked for the Snitch as more back and forth action took place with a few unsuccessful attempts of goals being made. After an intense search, Harry managed to once again regain sight of the snitch but unfortunately Cho had also seen it as well.

"Chang darts towards the snitch, but it looks like Harry has seen it as well, the race is on and Harry dodges a Bludger, and in a blink of an eye, he overtakes Chang!" announced Hailey. "He reaches forward with the Slytherin beaters covering him and Harry grabs the snitch, giving Slytherin the victory, with the final score tally of one hundred and ninety to thirty!"

The Slytherin supporters cheered loudly while the Ravenclaw supporters looked a bit disappointed. The match ended a bit sooner than they would have hoped with Slytherin in the lead. Ravenclaw still had one more match with Gryffindor, but there chances of winning the Quidditch Cup were rather slim to none.

"Caught the snitch rather sooner than I would have normally, but Ravenclaw looked to be pretty tough, so it would be better if we ended that as soon as we did," explained Harry to his team. "We've had two solid victories so far, one more game and the Quidditch Cup is as good as ours, but at the same time we can ill afford a slip up in the final match. I would suggest we watch Hufflepuff closely during their game with Gryffindor in two weeks, so we can put together a solid game plan."

The Slytherin team nodded in agreement.

"But today is the time for celebration!" added Harry and the others cheered before they made their way down to the Slytherin common room to join the other members of the house to celebrate the Slytherin team's latest victory.

The day after a party which went into the night, Daphne, Theodore, Harry, and Ginny took a late breakfast. They had only sat down for a few minutes, when an owl came bringing Daphne's copy of the Daily Prophet. Daphne took the paper and looked at the front page headline. As she read, her face became grimmer by the second.

"What is it now, Daphne?" asked Theodore.

"Another important death," suggested Ginny grimly.

"No, but this could really complicate matters for everyone," replied Daphne. "It says here that the Gringotts goblins were split on a vote to suspend access to everyone's vaults until the Ministry can come up with a suitable payment for breaking the treaty."

"There's no way they can keep people from accessing their own money," said Theodore in a disbelieving voice. "Can they?"

"Yes, its well within their rights based upon the treaty from the last goblin rebellion," answered Daphne in a saddened voice.

"It wouldn't be an idle threat either, goblins are notorious for punishing those who break agreements," added Ginny. "Still a punishment on this scale is rare even for the goblins."

"If they do this, the value of the Galleon will decrease, prices will go up, the entire magical economy will collapse," said Harry. "Believe it or not, I don't think that would be what Voldemort wants. Especially since if the vote was split, there could be as I've feared, a split coming between the goblin nation as a whole."

"Meaning a goblin civil war," said Daphne. "Something that is unprecedented, as the goblins have always held a united front. Now half of them are with Voldemort because of any false promises and half of them just are anti-human in general. Both sides are going to believe that their opinion was right."

"Doubt it's a clean divide of the goblins but I need to send a letter, it's a bit of a stretch, and it hasn't worked the past couple of times I've tried it, but I have to try again," muttered Harry as he hurried off to borrow one of the school owls, leaving Ginny, Daphne, and Theodore at the table.

"He's got a plan," said Daphne shortly.

"Of course he does," replied Ginny fondly.

"Yes, but I do wonder if Harry's biting off more than he can chew this time, attempting to meddle in the affairs of goblins," added Theodore. "Even Voldemort's attempts to get the goblins on his side could blow up in his face and he's known how to play a very tricky game for years."

Elsewhere, Draco Malfoy had looked at Potter walking off alone, a part of him sensing that it would be the perfect time to do the task that the Dark Lord set out for him prior to the beginning of the year. After all, his enemy was alone and there would be no witnesses, Draco could easily make it look like an accident.

Yet, a part of him hesitated, a thirst to prove his superiority to Potter on a grander scale rearing up inside of him. Draco wanted to defeat and eventually kill Harry Potter in a matter that fit his family name. It would not do a tall if Draco would kill Potter and try to cover it up with an accident.

Not yet, Draco would bide his time, he would formulate a plan, he had the dagger safely in his trunk, and then once the time was right, he would beat Potter for the world to see before finishing him off with the deadly poison contained in the dagger. It would be poetic justice that a weapon calmly used by ninja assassins would be used to finish off Potter.

In the end, Draco Malfoy would be known the world over as the one to single handily bring down Harry Potter. It would be justice for Potter stealing the glory meant for him in the Slytherin house.

Time went by over the next couple of weeks. For the sixth years, class work seemed to increase by the day, as teachers continued to prepare them for the N.E.W.T. examinations that would take place during their seventh year. With whispers of further Death Eater recruitment reaching him, Harry doubled up on his efforts in the supplementary Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, with his mother also putting in an extraordinary amount of effort towards the regular Defense against the Dark Arts classes, covering as much material as humanly possible.

Much to his displeasure, Harry had not heard back from the goblins. He was beginning to think that the message he sent was another wasted piece of parchment, as they appeared to have disregard his requests for a meeting. It was rather frustrating as Harry really did want to work with the goblins, but their attitude towards humans was a rather agitating roadblock. The more Harry thought about it, the more suspected that Voldemort's use of fear to coerce all of these magical races to join him was rather more effect than diplomacy. Still, Harry kept fighting what was seemingly a losing battle, despite the fact most of the prominent magical races that would be of any use as allies were either solidly in the camp of Voldemort or neutral at best, anti-human in general at the very worst.

Still all of Hogwarts was abuzz of the upcoming Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Both teams needed the victory to move towards second place with Slytherin being an obvious first place and Ravenclaw being a distant fourth place. If Hufflepuff won, then it was nearly assured that their battle with the Slytherin Quidditch team would be for the house Quidditch Championship. The members of Gryffindor house Quidditch team knew that if they put dominant performances in against both Hufflepuff and later Ravenclaw, then they could rebound from that early loss against Slytherin in the first match in the season to win the Quidditch Cup.

"Welcome to the latest Quidditch match, where the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teams will be squaring off," droned the commentator in a bored voice. "The Gryffindor team, lead by captain and veteran chaser Katie Bell, along with two other chasers Demelza Robins and Amanda Stampson, their beaters Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote, keeper Ron Weasley, and a new seeker, Dennis Creevey. Their opponents…on the other team…lead by the seeker, Harry Potter's sister, along with Chasers Elizabeth Martin, Brent Vine, and Carl Jacobs, Keeper Gregory Quance, and beaters Ray Edwards and Keith Lanton. This should be a barn burner, yeah."

Hailey beckoned her teammates over for a quick strategy session.

"Okay, Gryffindor is going to play like their back is against the wall, which means they will take some hasty chances," muttered Hailey. "Use their own recklessness against them and play smartly. Everyone clear on the plan."

The teammates nodded in understanding and not a moment too soon as Madam Hooch ordered the captains to shake hands. Hailey did with Gryffindor captain Katie Bell before the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor team, along with the four balls shot up into the air to begin the game.

Hufflepuff took control right off the bat, with Elizabeth gaining control of the Quaffle and she shot forwards, before avoiding the attack from the Gryffindor beaters.

"Martin passes it to Jacobs, oh no, it looks like it was intercepted by Bell," remarked the commentator dully. "She flies upwards, she flies some more, Bell flies even more, she's high up into the air, she dodges the first Bludger, one of the Gryffindor beaters flies in and blocks the second Bludger, hammering back at one of the Hufflepuff chasers as Bell attempts to score from above. Blocked, Quance tosses the Quaffle back in. The Quaffle is in the game. The chasers on both teams race for the Quaffle, Vine has the Quaffle and dodges an attempt to get the ball, he aims the Quaffle but Keeper Ronald Weasley blocks it. It has been blocked and Weasley throws it back into the game, where Demelza Robins grabs onto the Quaffle. She flies forward, ducking, dodging, and ducking some more, before she prepares to aim the Quaffle and she aims it, but Hufflepuff manages to block it again."

The Quaffle bounced back and forth between both teams for quite some time, with neither team coming close to scoring for quite some time, until Katie gained possession of the Quaffle and managed to put one past the Hufflepuff Keeper.

"After some time, Gryffindor scores the first goal, the score is ten to zero in favor of the Gryffindor team," announced the commentator dully. "Hufflepuff will not take this lying down, oh no they will not, as once the Quaffle is in the air, two of the Hufflepuff Chasers make their way towards it, not a good move as they block themselves by accident as Amanda Stampson now has the Quaffle. No, not good, it appears this was a distraction, allowing Beater Edwards to hammer her…with the Bludger which causes the Quaffle to fly into the air. The Quaffle flies into the air and right into the grasp of Hufflepuff Chaser Brent Vine. He flies forward, aims the Quaffle, no Ron Weasley blocks it and sends it back into the game."

"Kick it into high gear!" yelled Hailey.

"The Hufflepuff captain giving some strategy, as the Quaffle is now on the possession of Gryffindor but not for long as Bell may be knocked a loop with that Bludger, no she passes the Quaffle to Robins, who passes it to Stampson, who reverse passes it back to Robins, but Hufflepuff swoops in to take the Quaffle, as Jacobs blasts forward," announced the commentator in a bored tone. "He takes the Quaffle, ducks two Bludgers, ducks an attempt from Bell to gain the control, before he passes through and attempts to score, but Weasley easily blocks it once more and throws it back but Martin now has the Quaffle. She shoots, it goes through, and Hufflepuff is now on the board for a ten to ten tie."

The game continued to swing back and forth for the next fifteen or so minutes with Gryffindor making many attempts at goals that were expertly blocked. Each attempt caused more frustration to well enough with the Gryffindors which is what Hailey wanted as it allowed her to search for the snitch.

After some time Hailey finally managed to spot the Golden Snitch hovering slightly above. Adjusting her position, Hailey shot upwards at a nearly blinding speed, she would not be denied at grabbing the snitch and gaining the victory.

"What's Potter seen, has she seen the snitch?" asked the commentator. "Yes, in fact, she may have, as she aims forward, but Creevey is following her, a bit too late to be effect as the Gryffindor team is just realizing that she saw the snitch. Attempted by the Gryffindor beater to knock her out of place, but Potter swerves to the right, before she reaches for the snitch and she clasps it in her hand, giving Hufflepuff a shocking victory."

The crowd was in shock, they didn't expect Gryffindor to lose so quickly to Hufflepuff of all teams. Gryffindor was perhaps second only to Slytherin as the top Quidditch team in Hogwarts and they always dominated their non-Slytherin Quidditch matches. As far as many of the Gryffindor supporters were concerned, this would be the equivalent of the Chudley Cannons defeating the Ireland national Quidditch Team after a tightly contested match.

The Hufflepuff supporters realized that Hufflepuff had defeated Gryffindor for the first time ever in nearly five hundred years in Quidditch and cheered wildly as the Hufflepuff team made their way down to the ground, as the members of the Gryffindor team looked a bit put off. Their match with Ravenclaw in three weeks would be for the third place position, as Hufflepuff and Slytherin were tied completely for first. Their match in May would be for the right to be the 1996-1997 House Quidditch Cup champions.

The Hufflepuff supporters made their way onto the field, mobbing the team and this time Hailey didn't decide to make a run for it, but she did step back, allowing the rest of the team to bask in the glory of the victory. While she managed to make a smooth catch, it was the efforts of her other team mates that frustrated the Gryffindor team to the point where it allowed her to catch the Snitch.

"Just goes to show you, Hufflepuff beat Ravenclaw when no one said we could," said Hailey, barely suppressing the urge to take a smug tone out of her voice. "Just today, Hufflepuff did what many thought we couldn't we beat the Gryffindor team. I'm not going to brag too much, you all saw the match yourself so you can judge whether or not it was a lucky fluke. Our road to the house cup is through Slytherin, it won't be an easy battle, but it will be one that I think with enough hard work, we can pull off. After all, we are tied for first!"

The Hufflepuffs cheered as a slow and loud clapping caused Harry to turn around, where he was standing there with the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team.

"Impressive victory," replied Harry calmly as his sister stared at him, her eyebrow raised. "Gryffindor took you way too lightly, but Slytherin will not."

"I don't expect you to Harry," remarked Hailey in an equally calm voice. "I just hope Slytherin brings their best performance to the final, as it will make Hufflepuff's victory that much more impressive."

"We'll see sis, we'll see," answered Harry calmly, as he turned to the other Slytherin team members. "We need to figure out how to best and most decisively beat you, see you later."

Hailey nodded, she knew her brother was attempting to rile her up to get a competitive match for what may very well be his final Quidditch Match at Hogwarts. Still, Hailey would not let her brother and his fellow Slytherin team members roll over the Hufflepuffs just to allow Harry's Hogwarts Quidditch career to end on a high note. The fourteen nearly fifteen year old girl would lead the Hufflepuff team to an extremely rare Quidditch victory.

Both Potters were determined to lead their team to victory, which could very well lead to one of the most closely contested Quidditch games in quite some time at Hogwarts.

A week later, Harry, Daphne, and Theodore had concluded another round of teaching the sixth and seventh years in the Supplementary Defense Against the Dark Arts class. When they left, Ginny and Luna were waiting for them to walk down to dinner.

"Everyone's working hard," said Daphne answering the unasked questions of both fifth year girls. "It seems the latest rash of Death Eater attacks has inspired a new level of hard work."

"We've noticed the same things with the younger students," agreed Ginny. "They seem to determined to learn enough to defend themselves, perhaps even more."

"Hopefully they don't try to do more then they are capable," said Harry.

"Some might, but overall they are a good group," replied Luna calmly. "If the Quidditch thing doesn't pan out, you might consider teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in the future. You're a pretty good teacher Harry."

The other three nodded in agreement.

"I'm pretty sure Mum has that job pretty much taken care of, but maybe after I beat Voldemort, it might be something to consider," considered Harry and Harry heard a loud, manic round of laughter after his statement and they turned around to see Professor Trelawney standing there.

"Sorry children, cosmic vibrations causing random fits of insanity, my inner eye tends to not be able to accommodate a huge amount of premonitions from time to time," said Trelawney in an apologetic voice. "Do carry on and don't worry about me, the premonitions will pass."

"She's been a bit off all year," remarked Luna.

"She's been a bit off her entire life," replied Ginny. "I reckon she's a fraud because the prophecy she supposed to make wasn't real and I doubt that any predictions she made were nothing but coincidence."

"I agree with Ginny, predicting the future is something I'm unwilling to suspend my disbelief for," added Harry.

"I know, it's rather far-fetched," allowed Luna. "It is an interesting branch of magic and there are a few true seers out there. Still, Professor Trelawney's been a bit off character all year and those rumors that she might have encountered Death Eaters…"

"Still, seers, as rare as they have, have been known to have shifts of personality and if Trelawney is one, this could be one of those shifts," suggested Theodore.

"Yes, random fits of insanity is not unheard of in those even with the slightest fit of seer talent," said Luna with a nod.

"So, until Trelawney gives us a reason to suspect otherwise, it could be one of those shifts," concluded Harry and above him, an owl flew up towards the group, with an envelope clasped in its talons. It stopped in front of Harry, before holding its talon, which allowed Harry to take the letter.

The owl flew off, allowing Harry to rip open the letter and read it, with a bit of a surprised look on his face.

"I've gotten a letter back from Gringotts, they said they want to meet me tonight about a potential alliance," read Harry. "According to the time, they want to meet in one hour at the British branch of Gringotts."

"Then we better not keep you waiting," replied Ginny before she kissed Harry. "Good luck."

The others nodded, waving Harry off, as Harry activated the Portus-Amulet to take him to Gringotts.

Not even a minute after Harry left, Ron rushed down the hallway looking rather frantic, before he stopped right in front of Ginny, Luna, Daphne, and Theodore.

"Ginny, where's Harry?" asked Ron in a frantic voice.

"He just left a minute ago," replied Ginny slowly.

"Bloody hell, Hermione's lost her mind," answered Ron. "She's gone into all sorts of weird mood swings, she goes from laughing hysterically to crying to hexing everyone in anger and for a second, she cried out for help, mentioning Harry by name, before she started laughing madly again."

"A teacher, did you tell a teacher?" asked Ginny.

"Someone got McGonagall but she is currently unconscious, very lucky Hermione didn't murder her, she's being moved to Gringotts now," replied Ron. "The other prefects managed to evacuate the students before the light show started."

"Light show?" asked Ginny.

"Yeah, all kinds of lights went off, she started hissing in some kind of language, she looked really sickly too for a few seconds like someone had…" started Ron but Ginny cut her brother off, before she bolted down the hallway, with the others following.

Ginny reached the corridor where a lot of Gryffindors stepped back as a glow came from the half opened portrait hole.

"I wouldn't go in there, Granger's was going to kill the entire lot of us all," cautioned a seventh year.

"I can't leave her alone, especially if she's in there with him," muttered Ginny in an absent minded voice as the others looked around, expecting Harry Potter to follow her but Ginny was alone, with Daphne, Theodore, Luna, and Ron following, who looked equally bewildered.

Ginny pushed her way inside and saw a swirling vortex of black light above Hermione as she screamed in absolute agony, with what appeared to be a normal book at her side.

"Ginny, get out of here!" yelled Hermione in a horrified voice before she began to burst into hysterical tears. "He's back…found a way…to leave…travel between books…"

Ginny raised her wand, to do what she didn't know. She wasn't as good at this thinking on her feet thing like Harry was.

"Hello, Ginny, miss me?" hissed a voice coming from Hermione before Ginny could attack.

"Not particularly, Riddle," replied Ginny with pure venom in her voice.

"You know I'm surprised, I hoped for the great Harry Potter to come, but I think you will do just fine," remarked Riddle, before he used Hermione as a vessel and pointed her wand towards Ginny. "Unless of course you want to fight your friend."

"STUPEFY!" yelled Ginny, reluctantly sending a stunning spell at Hermione but it didn't have any effect and Riddle's high laughter echoed, taunting Ginny.

"Not good enough to beat me, Ginny," taunted Riddle. "I know you're better than that, after I all I used to leach your power when we shared our special connection."

Ginny hands shook and she pointed her wand at the book.

"Highly unadvisable, that will just send me back to the diary and leave the Mudblood a brain damaged vegetable for the rest her life," said Riddle in a bored voice. "That may be an improvement as far as I'm concerned."

Ginny stood there, hatred burning in her eyes, the shadows of her past taunting her, yet she felt helpless and knew that she could do nothing that would put Riddle back into the diary

"Let her go," said Ginny in a firm voice.

"I know and take you instead, proving that despite your best efforts of being an ideal Slytherin, you still have faint traces of descending from a long line of Gryffindors," remarked Riddle softly. "The fact remains, I'm going to take you both."

Black energy waves burst from the book, both wrapping around Ginny and Hermione and in seconds, they were sucked right into the book, with Ginny's wand clattering to the ground.


	27. Chapter 27: Riddle of the Diary

**Chapter Twenty Seven: The Riddle of the Diary**

Harry waited in a stone hallway in Gringotts, tapping his foot on the floor impatiently. He was escorted outside of the office of the director of Gringotts, who was perhaps one of the most powerful members of the goblin nation. From what rumors Harry had heard, he was also one of the most blood thirsty goblins in the entire race, so he had to remain on his toes, with a small belief that this might be a trap.

A surly looking goblin, armed with a spear walked up towards Harry, before it turned to face him.

"Ragnok will see you now, Mr. Potter," announced the goblin in a surly tone and Harry nodded before he rose to his feet. He walked towards the office, fully aware that the goblin had his spear right behind him in a threatening manner.

The door swung open on its own accord as Harry saw a goblin who looked like he could give him a damn good fight, despite Harry's ninjitsu skills. Two other goblins stood menacingly in the background, spears also in hand.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter," said the goblin icily. "As you know, I'm Ragnok, the director of Gringotts bank and I've decided now would be the best time to entertain your request for a meeting with us."

"Yes, I appreciate that," replied Harry but if Ragnok heard him he didn't acknowledge it.

"As you may have known, the human wizard calling himself Lord Voldemort has sent contacts to the goblin nation to an attempt to build a working alliance with his," remarked Ragnok. "These meetings have been happening periodically over the past year and Lord Voldemort has given us some very enticing promises. Promises that have caused a fair portion of our race to lean towards allying themselves with Lord Voldemort."

Ragnok paused for a moment, before the goblin continued.

"I must admit, Lord Voldemort does make some very interesting offers, but I personally feel that it's the same rhetoric humans have been spouting for centuries," continued Ragnok. "Our alliance with the Ministry of Magic was always tenuous at best and the latest treaty breach has caused much unrest among the goblin nation and I, along with many others, are under a strong belief that Lord Voldemort is attempting to take advantage of the latest Ministry of Magic breach of treaty and work himself into the confidences of our race. What do you think Mr. Potter?"

"Director Ragnok, I agree one hundred percent," answered Harry in a clear voice, careful to maintain eye contact with the goblin. "Voldemort has already aligned himself with many other magical races and he would consider it a coup to form an alliance with the goblins, but it would be worthy of his own benefit."

"It's quite acceptable we seem to be on the same wave length, Mr. Potter," replied Ragnok with a curt nod. "The goblins would not be as easy to manipulate into an alliance like savage, mindless brutes such as werewolves, vampires, or giants. We prefer to maintain neutrality of all costs."

"Respectively speaking Director, neutrality is always being threatened," answered Harry. "Voldemort doesn't take no for an answer at any costs."

"Ah, Mr. Potter, but do you take no for an answer for your offer for an alliance?" asked Ragnok.

"I'd like to think that myself and members of my Resistance group could work with members of the goblin nation to work towards the safety of all of Magical Britain, whether it be Muggle, goblin, or otherwise," replied Harry in a diplomatic fashion.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I realize your aims and while admirable, it's my belief that you may be fighting a losing battle," continued Ragnok. "While you may be more benevolent then most, I do not confuse your benevolence for stupidity. Should we form an alliance, you may find yourself needing to find a way to attempt to manipulate your side to come up better, to protect your species from Lord Voldemort. Naturally, you are just only human."

"I'd like to think any alliance would be equal and even, without any benefits outweighing the other," said Harry.

"Yes, that is a rather noble dream," agreed Ragnok. "Still, the goblin race is split as is between Lord Voldemort and neutrality, an attempt to gravitate towards you by some would cause us to be weakened and the magical economy could not sustain itself without a proper amount of goblins to maintain it. If the magical economy fails, that could lead to outreaching problems with the Muggle economy, with the worst case scenario being a worldwide depression that leads to essentially an environment of anarchy all around the world."

The way that the Director of Gringotts put that down made the situation that would have been caused by a goblin civil war that would be very grim. Harry had taken enough money out of his account and kept it in the safe place in the Potter Residence, just on the off chance that Voldemort had joined up with the goblins. His mother had done the same thing and between the two of them, they had enough to fund the Resistance organization, including the salaries of all the members along with purchasing the necessities for living for the next fifteen years, should Voldemort last that long.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Potter, I will encourage others to remain neutral and not be enticed by Lord Voldemort's promises and perhaps we may find ourselves on the same side at times," concluded Ragnok, at that moment, a goblin rushed inside the office, blood dripping down from the floor.

"Director, a situation has arised, masked attackers have attacked the lower vaults!" yelled the goblin quickly.

"Employ all defenses, I'll check the situation out!" ordered Ragnok as the other three goblins in his office followed him. Harry made a movement. "Mr. Potter, it would be highly unadvisable for you to attempt to help us. There are many traps down in the lower vaults that are designed to destroy intruders. Even if you are better than average wizard, goblin magic is different and it would be difficult for you to counteract the traps in time. You'd be much safer in here."

Harry reluctantly nodded as the goblins left and the office door swung shut, sealing Harry into the office as Gringotts went into total lockdown. All human magic was suspended, including much to Harry's displeasure, his Portus-Amulet was also unable to function when Gringotts was under lockdown.

Back in the Gryffindor common room, a book sat on a table, with an orb of black magical energy surrounding it as Luna and Ron approached it cautiously but a loud hissing caused them to have second thoughts.

"Hermione's was influenced by something all year," muttered Luna as she shook her head sadly.

"You mean like Ginny was during her first year!" exclaimed Ron fearfully.

"Afraid so, and it pulled both Ginny and Hermione into that book," explained Luna.

"They'll make it out alive, right?" asked Ron in a hopeful voice.

"I don't know, it would be foolish to assume without knowing exactly how powerful that thing would be," answered Luna.

"Where's Harry Potter when you need him?" asked Ron.

"Daphne and Theodore should be returning any moment with Professor Potter, she might be able to help, she is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher after all," said Luna but her eyes had flashes of worry in them about both Hermione and Ginny.

Just as Luna had made that statement, Lily had made her way into the Gryffindor Common Room, followed by Daphne, Theodore, and Hailey. A few seconds later, Snape made his way into the Gryffindor common room.

"What's he doing here?" demanded Ron.

"Five points from Gryffindor for speaking out of turn, Mr. Weasley," replied Snape.

"Professor Snape is here because he has a bit of experience in dealing with the dark arts," said Lily. "You said Hermione was acting rather strange when the tower was evacuated."

"Yes, and Luna reckons that both Hermione and Ginny may have been pulled into that book," explained Ron.

Lily made a movement forward to examine the book closely.

"I wouldn't advise touching that, unless you want to lose an arm," said Snape lightly. "It's obviously created very powerful defenses to prevent tampering until it's done."

"Maybe we should get Professor Dumbledore," suggested Ron.

"No, I doubt that he should be involved in this," replied Lily with a bit of venom.

"It's just as well as the Headmaster is currently out for the evening," said Snape as he looked around. "Speaking of those who are out, I'm quite astonished that young Mr. Potter is not present right now. I would assume that he would that he would do everything in his power to free his girlfriend."

"Harry is currently out for the evening and before you ask, no I can't tell you where," answered Lily shortly. "I can't see anything I can do without triggering a magical chain reaction that would cause half of the school to explode."

"Yes, there is only one thing that can be done, Miss Weasley and Miss Granger must find a way out of there from the inside," said Snape.

Hailey just looked at the book with worry on her face.

"Do not despair Hailey, Ginny and Hermione will be okay," replied Luna in a soothing voice.

"Harry's not here, Harry could find a way to get them out," muttered Hailey.

"No, Miss Potter, for once your brother would have been unable to save the day if he had been here," replied Snape coolly. "All we do is wait and be prepared to get those two proper medical attention should they find a way out, as a lengthy exposure to dark magic."

Ginny shook her head as she found herself in a dark, cavernous hallway. It was the most barren, lightless place, she had ever seen in her life.

"Hermione, are you here?" whispered Ginny.

"Yes, Ginny, yes I am," replied Hermione. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault.."

"Hermione, save it for later," hissed Ginny. "We need to get out of here now."

"Escape is useless," replied a voice as footsteps echoed through the eerily quiet hallway and the sixteen year old form of Tom Marvolo Riddle appeared, smiling at Hermione and Ginny.

"YOU!" shouted Ginny as she rushed forward and attempted to attack Riddle, but a magical field caused her to bounce back to the ground. Ginny attempted to pull out her wand but much to her horror, she must have dropped it when she was pulled into the diary.

"I'll make this simple for you two to understand, you are in my world where I have limitless power," explained Tom calmly. "Magic can't touch me, and your feeble Muggle attacks can't do anything, so it's useless."

"What do you mean, we're in your world?" asked Hermione.

"Hermione, I was created when your world's Lord Voldemort was sixteen years old, I am a piece of his soul, his Horcrux, that foolish manipulator attempted to use me to control what I became but his attempts made me more powerful," replied Tom softly. "Ginny, you remember those nightmares you were having this summer, that was me attempting to reclaim what was mine."

"I was never yours Riddle, you used me, you played on my emotions and if I could kill you right now, I would," answered Ginny angrily. "Yet, you couldn't completely break free of the diary, because Harry, the love of my life, my heart, my soul, defeated you."

Tom backed up a little bit with a painful grimace on his face, as Ginny professed her love for Harry but he quickly hid it.

"Yes, Harry Potter, you two maintaining close contact when you slept forced me out and put me into limbo," replied Tom. "I had to formulate another plan to break free, because I'm not going back to the prison of that wretched diary, with nothing but my memories. The basilisk venom caused me to go into stasis until I was awakened."

Tom Riddle stared at Hermione and Ginny.

"Hermione's condition after the deaths of her parents made it rather interesting to influence her, I latched myself onto the first book she was allowed to have, feeding off her negative emotions would subtly influencing her thoughts in a way that would eliminate all positive emotions," continued Tom softly "That caused her sudden disdain for her friends, especially Harry Potter and more negative emotions fueled me, until I had prepared to finish the job by drawing her into the diary but you just had to interfere Ginny. The fact I had to bring you in here as well, broke my hold on young Hermione."

"You're not going to succeed Riddle," proclaimed Ginny in a defiant voice.

"No Harry Potter's going to save you Ginny," answered Tom in a curt voice. "There is no counterattack against me this time, no basilisk venom to put me out, you don't even have a wand to defeat me, not that it matters as in here, I'm invincible. Soon, I will gain enough power where I can break out and gain my revenge on Harry Potter. Not only that, but you two will be trapped in here forever because Ginny, without Harry Potter, you're nothing but a stupid weak little girl."

Riddle held up Hermione's wand before he walked into the wall, dissolving into it as he left the room.

"Have fun ladies," hissed Tom as the stone walls around them began to grow spikes and then began to close in on Hermione and Ginny.

"Now, what do we do?" asked Hermione.

"Absolutely nothing," answered Ginny as she sat down, her legs crossed, and began to meditate, concentrating on the walls stopping.

"Ginny, I don't think…" started Hermione but Ginny interrupted her.

"Hermione, it's crucial that I have complete quite so I can concentrate," said Ginny as the walls began to grind to a halt before Ginny heard them stop thanks to her intense concentration triggering a very powerful form of wandless magic. It was a trick that Harry had taught her during training on one day.

Screwing up her eyes, Ginny concentrated, attempting to recall some way, anyway out before the walls started up again.

"We go up, Hermione," said Ginny.

"I beg your pardon," said Hermione.

"No time to explain, just follow my lead," confirmed Ginny and she gained her footing on two of the spikes, before using them as a ladder to move upwards.

Hermione looked fearful, she absolutely hated heights but conquering her fears were better than being impaled to death once Riddle found out that the enclosing spiked walls had been stopped by Ginny.

The two girls climbed a good distance, before they reached the edge of one of the walls leading to another blank stone corridor. Ginny gracefully made her way up and Hermione struggled, nearly losing her footing, before Ginny reached down and helped Hermione up to the top. Both girls stood and saw that three closed doors at the very end of the hallway.

"Riddle has to be behind one of those doors," said Ginny. "I say we pay him our regards."

"Riddle may be behind one of the doors, providing he's still here," admitted Hermione.

"Oh, he's here alright," answered Ginny with a bit of venom in her voice.

"Yes, but if he's behind one doors, there's no doubt surprises lurking behind the other two doors," continued Hermione. "We need to be careful."

Ginny nodded rigidly as she removed two tonfa, her preferred weapon of choice, more than willing to knock Riddle around once she encountered him. The fifteen year old girl reached forward towards the door and when she touched the door, it burst open with a loud hiss and a large black snake rose up, bearing its fangs against Ginny. While this snake didn't have the petrification powers of a basilisk, the snake made the basilisk look like an insignificant pitiful worm.

Ginny stepped back, she had picked the wrong door and the snake rose up, bearing its fangs before it plunged towards Ginny, who managed to leap out of the way and the snake hit the ground, as Ginny stood herself, looking at the tonfa sadly. They wouldn't have been able to even pick that thing's teeth. Despair reached Ginny as the snake made another attempt to go after her but Ginny managed to somersault out of the way and as a result, the snake cracked into the wall.

Unfortunately, this only slowed down the serpent for a few seconds as it made its way towards Ginny. It would not be denied its prey.

"Hermione, get out of here, find a way to save yourself!" shouted Ginny as the snake made another attempt at her and Hermione backed off reluctantly, thinking there needed to be something that she could do to save Ginny.

The snake made its way towards Ginny, fangs bared and Ginny threw the tonfa at the snake but the snake caught its mouth, before it bit down on them. The tonfa crumbled to dust and Ginny quickly dodged behind the snake but the snake wrapped around Ginny, before it hoisted her up into the air. Ginny struggled with all of her might, as the snake opened its mouth, fangs bared but by swinging her feet forwards with all the force she could muster, Ginny cracked the snake right in the jaw, disorienting it for a few seconds. The snake raised Ginny up before it tossed the girl to the ground viciously. Ginny leaned against the wall, a bit disoriented as the snake stalked her, smelling its prey.

Hermione struggled to dislodge one of the sharp spikes from the wall. Ginny needed all the help she could get and something sharp like that might slow that snake down. After an intensive struggle and using all the willpower, she could muster, Hermione managed to find a way to dislodge the spike, before she gingerly pulled himself up and made a mad dash towards the snake.

"Ginny!" yelled Hermione but in her haste, Hermione managed to trip, causing the spike to fly into the air, before it skidded towards the ground.

The snake hovered over Ginny preparing to finish her off once and for all but the sound of Hermione's voice and the noise of the spike clattering to the ground had caused the snake to slither around, focusing its attention on Hermione.

Ginny shook her head, in an attempt to clear the cobwebs and to her horror, she saw the snake advancing on Hermione, who was absolutely petrified with horror. The spike laid a few feet from Ginny and she leapt quickly, before she picked up the spike. In the blink of an eye, Ginny propelled herself into the air, the end of the spike pointed down.

Just as the snake prepared to take a bite out of Hermione's throat, Ginny impaled the spike right into the top of the snake's head. The snake hissed painfully as Hermione pulled herself out of the way, and Ginny backed off as far as she could as the snake dropped to the ground, dead.

"Are you okay?" asked Hermione.

"I'll be fine, we need to find Riddle and make him tell us the way out of here," replied Ginny as she made her way over to the second door, but Hermione grabbed her arm to prevent her from opening it.

"Ginny, he's not behind any of the doors," declared Hermione suddenly.

"Right Hermione, I should have known, he's playing mind games with us," agreed Ginny as she looked around. "Riddle, show yourself!"

"Why should I?" asked the voice of Tom Marvolo Riddle. "You two will be crushed without me having to lift a finger."

"You know for someone whose all powerful, you seem to be hiding in the shadows a lot," taunted Ginny, a sudden, if insane, burst of inspiration coming from her. "That snake that you sent at us was not a bad effort."

"What is that supposed to mean?" demanded Riddle.

"You couldn't beat Harry, your best efforts didn't manage to kill me, Tom," continued Ginny. "Is that really the best you can do? Come on, for the person who is supposed to be the most fear dark lord ever, you're quite pathetic, a real joke."

"Ginny, I don't think this is a good idea," muttered Hermione.

"A joke am I, little girl?" asked Riddle as the room began to glow.

"Yes, nothing more capable then mere parlor tricks," responded Ginny. "You're supposed to be all powerful, but the fact is that Harry beat you before and in a fair fight, he can beat you again. He's more powerful then you, Tom Marvolo Riddle, will ever be. His love drives him to victory, not his unhealthy urge for ultimate power."

"You have no concept of ultimate power!" shouted Riddle, his voice echoing across the wall but there was a slight pained quality to Riddle's voice.

"Is that so?" asked Ginny. "I have on it than you ever will and so does Harry."

"Ginny, he's really getting pissed," said Hermione urgently.

"I'm counting on it," muttered Ginny in an undertone to Hermione. "Yes, Riddle, let's face it, without resorting to the dark arts, you will never be able to defeat Harry. Hell, I doubt you can beat, as you so eloquently put it, a stupid little girl like me."

The room flashed green as the fragment of soul seemed to be angered beyond all belief, before it manifested into the sixteen year old form of Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort.

"So, you doubt my power," replied Riddle coldly.

"You have no power, Riddle," retorted Ginny, with forced smugness on her face.

"I see that you're no longer the insecure little girl that you were when you poured your heart out to me, when I used you to achieve my ends," remarked Riddle, in an attempt to get a rise out of Ginny, but the girl just smirked.

"You better believe I'm not that person anymore, Riddle," said Ginny.

Riddle held up Hermione's hand in his wand, twirling it between his fingers.

"The fact remains I have a wand and you don't," said Riddle quietly. "I could make your friend here play for your flippant remarks."

Riddle's eyes gestured over to Hermione who shuddered involuntary.

"You could, but you would just prove beyond a shadow of a doubt what kind of person you are," replied Ginny. "So, why don't you leave Hermione out of this and you fight me in a fair duel."

"Yes, remember, this same friend that you're begging me to spare, compared your great love Harry Potter, to me," taunted Riddle.

"Technically you did that Tom, so really you at least admitted that Harry could compare to you, even in a twisted matter," said Ginny.

Riddle's eyes widened, as he withdrew the wand.

"Before I leave, I'll make sure you'll spend eternity in this realm in traction," hissed Riddle angrily as he waved the wand in a circle before sending a spiral of black light right towards Ginny.

With quickness, Ginny avoided the attack and landed on her feet.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" shrieked Riddle as he aimed Hermione's wand at Ginny, but Ginny dodged out of the way, before she bounced off the wall and leapt to the side of Riddle.

"Hey, snake breath, I bet you can't zap me from here" taunted Ginny and Riddle threw a few more curses at Ginny, who ducked, dodged, and leapt around all of Riddle's assaults. "Come on Riddle, a blind two hundred year woman has better aim than you do."

"Foolish girl, I'll make you pay!" hissed Riddle angrily as he even more dark curses at Ginny, but with each miss, Riddle became more reckless with his aim and didn't come anywhere close to connecting with Ginny. "Stand still and fight me straight up."

"Can't, sorry, too busy defeating you," replied Ginny and Riddle hit a few more curses, all striking the edges of the wall behind Ginny as she moved. Ginny looked as the wall began to wobble. She leapt over Riddle. "HERMIONE MOVE!"

Hermione and Ginny ran as far as their legs could carry them, as the wall began to topple before it collapsed onto the unsuspecting Tom Marvolo Riddle just as the two girls managed to climb down halfway down the spiked wall, putting themselves out of harm's way.

As the smoke cleared, they pulled themselves up as Riddle appeared to have been buried underneath a pile of bricks.

"Ginny, that was actually brilliant," remarked Hermione in a surprised tone of voice.

"Thank you, Hermione, but I doubt very much that'd work against the current Lord Voldemort, but since he was younger and more prone to get frustrated by immature taunting, everything worked out well," said Ginny. "Now let's find your wand so we can get out of here."

At that point, ominous black smoke began to rise up from the bricks, causing Hermione and Ginny to stop in their tracks.

"You think you've defeated me," echoed a calm voice as the smoke contorted into a large shadow construct shaped like a face that had red slits for eyes, no nose, and a cavernous mouth, with a forked yellow tongue sticking out. "As I told you before, I'm invincible in this realm, not even a ton of bricks can destroy me, nothing can beat me, now I'll finish you."

The shadow head breathed green fire at the ground towards Hermione and Ginny and the two girls managed to leap up out of the way, as the fire incinerated the ground where it touched.

It looked down at Ginny and Hermione, before it nodded and contorted into the form of Tom Marvolo Riddle.

"It's been fun ladies, but my time in this realm is done, I have enough power to leave here and exist in the real world," said Riddle as a small swirling vortex appeared behind him.

"Rush him, think nothing but positive thoughts!" yelled Ginny suddenly and Hermione nodded, before following her lead, and leapt right towards Riddle.

Their skin blistered as they moved closer as Riddle attempted to push them backwards, but somehow, Hermione and Ginny knocked Riddle back a few steps before they were blasted back themselves and they hit the ground with a thud.

"It's over!" replied Riddle as he raised up to his hand, looking for the stolen wand but much to his horror, he couldn't find it.

Ginny looked dumbstruck, because Riddle had appeared to have lost the wand but she hadn't gotten her hands on it either in the attack.

"Looking for this, Riddle," answered Hermione quietly, as she raised her own wand up and she and Ginny made their way through the vortex with Riddle attempting to follow behind, but the vortex sealed itself a second after Hermione and Ginny passed through.

"Beaten by a Mudblood!" hissed Riddle angrily as he felt a pull that began to draw himself back to the prison of the Horcrux container. "NO!!!!"

In the world outside, the black energy orb began to crack open.

"Back!" yelled Lily, her eyes averted to Daphne, Theodore, Ron, Luna, and Hailey who stepped backwards with Lily had her wand pointed in the book just in case something dangerous came out of it. Snape also had his wand on the book.

A minute later, swirling mist popped out of the book, before they contorted into the physical forms of Hermione and Ginny who looked rather dazed and looked as if they had bad sun burns but otherwise all things considered in good health.

"It was Riddle," replied Ginny in a weakened voice as her adrenaline had disappeared and was replaced by a pain that coursed through her own body.

The book that Ginny and Hermione existed burst into green flames and burned at a rather quick rate, before it turned to ashes that fluttered around the air.

"It looks like he didn't want to leave any trace here," replied Luna.

"Yes, he went back to the diary and Merlin only knows where that is, but I did hear him say that someone tampered with it and that gave him the power," said Ginny.

Snape backed off, he knew exactly who might have caused that, but naturally he was forbidden to say.

"Lily, I believe you can handle getting these two off to the hospital wing, I shall inform the Gryffindors that it would be safe to return to the Common Room," said Snape quickly as he walked off.

"Right, to the Hospital Wing, just to make sure Voldemort didn't leave anything behind when you were inside that Horcrux," said Lily as she encouraged Ginny and Hermione to their feet before Daphne, Theodore, Hailey, Ron, and Luna helped them to the hospital wing.

Harry arrived at his mother's office really early the next morning, he had been up until the later part of the night, as it took quite some time for the goblins to take care of the situation at Gringotts.

"Harry, there you are, I was beginning to worry," said Lily as she ushered her son inside the office.

"Sorry, Mum, there was a situation, the lower vaults were attacked, I had to wait seven hours and in the end, whoever did so escaped," replied Harry. "All magic was cut off so I couldn't have used the mirrors."

"I'm sure you can tell me more about that later Harry, but there's something I need to tell you about Hermione," said Lily and Harry looked a bit apprehensive. "Her thoughts have been manipulated all year."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, Bellatrix did do something to her on that night," remarked Harry, but Lily shook her head. "No, then what happened?"

"The sixteen year old Voldemort, the one in the diary, attempted to use Hermione as a vessel to return to the real world and enact his revenge on you for what happened in the Chamber of Secrets," explained Lily. "Ginny managed to catch onto the plot and both girls were pulled into another realm where Riddle resided. They're both okay, currently sleeping in the hospital wing, even though they just managed to get out before Riddle could complete his plans."

"So that means you have the diary, right?" asked Harry hopefully.

"No, sadly Riddle used another book, apparently someone was tampering with it and the resulting tampering made Riddle more powerful," answered Lily. "Sadly, the book was destroyed when Riddle was blasted back to the diary, so there is no way to trace it."

"I've got to talk to Hermione, then," said Harry and Lily nodded in understanding as Harry made his way to the hospital wing.

As Harry arrived, he saw Hermione sitting up in bed, wide awaken, as if she was expecting Harry.

"Hi," muttered Hermione quietly, not knowing what to expect from someone who she once considered her best friend and hoped still was. "I suppose you heard what happened."

"Yes, Hermione, I heard and I must admit both of you did great, not many people would have been able to fight Voldemort, even his sixteen year self," said Harry with an approving smile. "Maybe I underestimated you when I…"

"Ginny did most of the fighting, I just managed to pry the wand out from underneath Voldemort's fingers," said Hermione.

"Would this wand happened to have the thing that prevented Riddle from being able to come into this world and wreck havoc?" asked Harry and Hermione nodded. "So you played your part in stopping Riddle too."

"I guess so," replied Hermione modestly.

"I'm sorry," answered Harry.

"What for, you didn't do anything, I was the one who compared you to Voldemort of all people?" demanded Hermione.

"Yes, but I shouldn't have discouraged your need to get revenge against Bellatrix Lestrange, I should have helped you learn some powerful curses that might have helped you gain a fighting chance, it made you more susceptible to Riddle's influence," answered Harry as he waved off Hermione's protested.

"Harry James Potter, there's no way could have known that Riddle would have attempted to use me like that," admonished Hermione.

"No, I suppose I couldn't," replied Harry. "Still, I'm glad I have my best friend back."

"You'll still willing to be friends with me after what I said," said Hermione.

"Of course, if you'll have me," responded Harry and Hermione gave him a sisterly hug to answer his question, which Harry returned.

In the distance, Ginny had watched without a word, happy that Hermione and Harry had made up. She knew Harry was a miserable wreck about Hermione saying what she did, he had looked up to her a great deal as an older sister figure, and it was a relief that Hermione's words were influenced by external possession. He put a lot of stock in Hermione's opinion, as it was nice to get a different perspective as Harry, Ginny, Daphne, and Theodore tended to think on the same wavelength due to being Slytherins.

Still, if Hermione ever did anything to hurt Harry again, Ginny would throw her off the Astronomy tower.


	28. Chapter 28: Shadows Over New York Part I

**Chapter Twenty Eight: Shadows of New York Part One:**

Snow continued to drop from the sky in New York City. It had been snowing pretty much continuously for the past four months, with record levels of accumulation. The scientists were baffled beyond belief, they had never seen anything like this in their lives. There seemed to be no scientific explanation whatsoever of why New York City alone had accumulated so much snow, as the other parts of the Eastern United States area had been into spring with warmer weather.

The American Wizarding Government on the other hand had a pretty good idea that this unexpected weather was emitting from some magical source, but the question was when and where. They had little time to work on the location of the source, as they had to magically dispose of the snow, which was a long and tedious process, burning up a lot of time as the weather just seemed to get colder as the days went by. If they didn't find what was causing this soon and put a stop to it, New York City would be transferred into a cold, barren, wasteland.

When he heard about the latest weather situation, Harry had a theory of what was causing this. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that the recent sweeping cold weather and the mystical box stolen had a correlation. Much to his relief, Harry wasn't the only one to come to that conclusions, as the American Wizarding Governments had attempted to find the box, but their efforts were cut down by having to make sure New York City ran well without the city crumbling. Whoever had control of this box, had used the really horrendous weather as their mask and Harry wouldn't be surprised that they were plundering the city under the cover of the heavy amounts of snowfall.

It was a couple of days into spring holiday, as Harry sat right by the window, staring outside with the events of the past couple of weeks running through his mind. After the ordeal Hermione and Ginny had with Riddle, things had been remarkably quiet all things considered. That actually worried Harry a little bit, as if Voldemort was quiet it meant he was planning his next move. The goblins and the Ministry of Magic remained at a stand off, which didn't look to be resolved anytime soon at all and as Voldemort gained power, that would create complications for Harry and his resistance group. They were doing everything in their power, with a couple of different contingency plans to evacuate people out of the country quickly when Voldemort had made his attempt to take complete control of the Ministry. Harry questioned whether it would be enough, but he hoped to at least minimize any causalities, but it would be impossible to eliminate all causalities. Sadly, that was the nature of war and an unfortunate realization Harry had come to some time ago.

Harry looked up and he heard his sister make her way down stairs.

"Harry, Mum wants you upstairs, the project she's been working on since the summer, well, she's got it done," said Hailey.

"Really, that's great," answered Harry as he pulled himself away from the window and his thoughts, before he followed his sister upstairs. To be honest, Harry was rather curious about what exactly his mother had been working on upstairs all this time. All she had mentioned was it would be something that would help out against Voldemort.

Hailey and Harry made their way upstairs, where their mother was awaiting them.

"So, Mum, what's the big project?" asked Hailey.

"Come inside and have a look for yourself," replied Lily as she opened the attic door, to reveal a more scaled down version of the transmat that the Utroms had built to evacuate the TCRI building.

"You actually managed to successfully rebuilt the transmat," remarked Harry.

"Yeah and it wasn't easy, I had to go completely by memory and the first couple of times, when I pushed the button to test the transport function it smoked before it fell apart," explained Lily. "Still after much testing, it should work, I managed to successfully transport a book to my office and back."

"So, we can now take Voldemort and put him on the Transmat, before transporting him to some desolate universe, right?" suggested Hailey hopefully.

"As appealing as that sounds, there are a few drawbacks," replied Lily. "I had to sacrifice long distance transport to add in the stealth features, eliminating the particular stream. It will transport you anywhere on Earth though. That's part of the reason why it took about six months, long distance travel would have taken much longer."

"Any other drawbacks that we should know about?" questioned Harry

"Someone has to be in this remote to operate the transmat manually because no matter what, the remote control function jammed the stealth feature, even Leatherhead couldn't figure out how to adjust that part when I had asked him about that.," added Lily. "Still, Harry, you said that Fred and George were having issues with the portal Floo Systems that you had planned on for using on a potential evacuation for Hogwarts."

"Yes," replied Harry, who was counting on the twins to work out all of the kinks, but they had ran into some unforeseen snags.

"Tell them not to worry about it, because I can now complete a portable version of the transmat to use for Hogwarts," said Lily.

"Surely the magic in Hogwarts may interfere with the transmat's transport features?" asked Harry.

"I thought so too, but I threw pretty much every magical spell I could think of inside this room at a rapid fire pace and everything transported fine," answered Lily. "However, there is one more thing I need to test before I begin construction of a portable version for Hogwarts."

"That wouldn't be transporting a living being, would it?" asked Harry.

"Yes, it has to be done," said Lily with a nod.

"I agree, I'll be your guinea pig, Mum," remarked Harry with a bit of a smirk as he stepped onto the transmat platform, remembering the last time he was one of these, he was zapped to the planet D'Hoonib.

Thankfully, with the Transmat only geared for travel on Earth, the worst that could happen would that Harry would get inadvertently transported into a Death Eater meeting.

"Ready Harry?" asked Lily and Harry confirmed with a short nod of his head as he watched his mother enter the coordinates into the console. In the blink of an eye, Harry vanished from view.

"Where did you send him?" inquired Hailey.

"My office at Hogwarts, at least that's where I intended to send him," remarked Lily as she looked at the console controls. "Now, if I am able to recall Harry at the same coordinates, then it would have worked. If not, I'm going to have to contact him using the mirrors to find out what exactly went wrong."

Lily made her way over to the console and began to transport the same coordinates that she sent Harry to, before she pressed the button to activate the retrieval function of the transmat and seconds later, Harry was on the transmat, without any light signifying his arrival.

"Mum, both sending me there and getting me back worked out perfectly," declared Harry as he answered his mother's unasked question.

"So, nothing was wrong, nothing at all," said Lily and Harry confirmed with a nod. "That's great, now I can get straight to work on the portable version of the transmat. Depending on my schedule, it should be ready by next year."

"I just hope it will be in time for it to do anytime because I'm not a big fan of Plan B," answered Harry.

"What's Plan B?" asked Hailey curiously.

"There are five hundred broomsticks currently located in an unused room at Hogwarts, held underneath a more advanced version Fidelius Charm," explained Harry. "It was created in the time of the founders in case of an emergency. Back then broomsticks were a lot easier to control, it didn't take as much skill to fly them, but they moved a lot slower than those today. The only reason I know about it is because Slytherin was the Secret Keeper and he mentioned it in his journal."

"Harry, the Fidelius Charm dies when a person dies," lectured Lily.

"The less powerful version that still exists today does, but the original version that Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw both invented can maintain the charm up to three thousand years after the death of the person," answered Harry quickly. "The actual specifics of how to use this charm was lost under time, Slytherin never mentioned how in his journal, but he was very vague on a lot of things, as he obviously didn't have the foresight about how many of his discoveries would be used and in the cases of the Horcruxes, abused."

"So, I'm guessing that someone may have come across the partial record of the original Fidelius Charm and thus constructed what is used today out of it," said Lily slowly with Harry nodding in agreement.

"Back to Plan B, the brooms are enough to get off the ground and far away from the Death Eaters if an evacuation would happen, but the problem is a fair portion of Hogwarts still can't handle themselves with their feet firmly on the ground," continued Harry. "It's not the most coordinated of plans either. Don't get me wrong, it's doable, but not exactly the most convenient evacuation from Hogwarts."

"Don't worry Harry, the portable transmat should be ready to go as soon as I can," said Lily.

"Let's hope so, because that plan should only be used as a last ditch effort," answered Harry with a nod.

Lily checked her watch.

"Oh my, I've been up here since breakfast working on this, it's almost time for lunch," announced Lily as she left the room with her two children following closely behind her to sit down at the take.

During lunch, Harry decided to flip on the radio to hear the news and what he heard wasn't good news.

"Today, three more people were found dead in the snow covered wastelands of New York City due to automobile accidents from the slick roads," announced the newscaster on the radio. "We encourage all those who have to go to work to extend extra caution. Road crews are attempting to clean up the roads as quickly as possible, but the unexplained record amounts of snow will take time to completely clear from our city streets."

"And right into people's driveways," replied Hailey darkly but Harry raised his hand to shush his sister.

"This brings the death toll for this week up to twelve, one hundred and nineteen all together, with seventeen reported missing cases, and fifty people in the hospital suffering from severe cases of hypothermia," continued the radio announcer. "As scientists continue to look for cause to this strange weather that is plaguing the city of New York, we once again encourage all of our citizens to remain careful, to continue to keep in touch with the news as you will get the latest as soon as we receive it. Right now, the temperature is nineteen degrees below zero with a wind chill of thirty and eight more inches of snow. Now back to your latest hits after ten minutes of commercials and five more minutes of the news."

Harry turned off the radio as his mother sat lunch down on the table, before joining them.

"It's really getting bad outside, Alexandra told me the other day that they can't even find where the mystical box is, but as you know, she's pretty sure that she knows that is the cause," remarked Lily.

"Well, we've pretty much figured out who did that was the one who bankrolled that clock obsessed whacko with all that high powerful technology," said Harry.

"Yes, but who would supply that guy with the technology just to serve as a distraction so they can turn the city into a frozen wasteland, Bishop, Shredder, Luther Malfoy, or dare I say it, even Voldemort, with an inside assist from his sympathizers?" asked Hailey.

"This doesn't seem up Bishop's alley, Malfoy's in jail, and it would be very counterproductive for the Shredder to turn a city that he's turned into a wasteland," remarked Harry. "While Voldemort does have sympathizers in the country, they have died down a little bit lately since the new harsh measures. I honestly believe Voldemort is thinking long term plans and finding a way to conquer the American magical world is in the distant future. His warped mind has a need to control all the magical people in the world, but to do so, he needs people on the inside who understand this country and its inhabitants. To do anything to attract the attentions of the American Wizarding Government would be ritual suicide."

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing, which just leads to a disturbing conclusion that whoever is behind this is a new and dangerous foe," chimed in Lily as she finished her sandwich.

"That doesn't fill me with great hope, rather quite the opposite," said Harry darkly. "Someone who can figure out how to use a rare artifact that even the American Wizarding Government had been studying for years and hadn't come close to being able to use."

"I know," replied Lily in a sympathetic voice. "The entire city could be put in peril if the artifact and those behind it aren't found soon enough. The temperature is already dropping at a rate, it's barely this cold in the winter months, much less when it's spring. The snow is getting to the point where even magic can't clear it up and you've heard the causalities on the radio."

The three Potters finished their lunch in relative silence, before Lily heard an incoming Floo call from the living room. She excused herself from the table to take it, leaving Hailey and Harry alone in the kitchen.

After a few minutes, Lily made her way back into the kitchen with an apologetic look on her face.

"I've got to get down to the American Wizarding Government headquarters, Alexandra has called a meeting, one of her aides contacted me, said it was urgent, but the aide didn't say why," remarked Lily in a hurried voice.

"Well Mum, don't let us keep you, I was about to head down to the lair for a visit," said Harry and Lily nodded before grabbing her traveling cloak and she disappeared into the room. Harry rose to his feet. "Want to come Hailey?"

"No, not today, Harry," remarked Hailey and Harry looked for an explanation. "I've got some homework I need to catch up on."

"Okay, see you later," said Harry as Hailey was left alone with her own thoughts. The truth was she had actually managed to finish all of her homework the evening before.

"Yes, no one's been able to find where that mystical box has been coming from," remarked Hailey as she slowly got to her feet. "Perhaps someone else can take a closer look at the city, they might have missed something. It wouldn't be too hard to do it after all of this snow but why waste all this time talking to myself when I can get out there and have a closer look, might be fun, perhaps a bit interesting."

Hailey got to her feet and walked up to her room to grab her broomstick, along with making a quick change of clothes. Maybe the Black Phantom could succeed where the American Wizarding Government could not.

In the corridors of the American Wizarding Government, a dazed looking young man looked at a shapely figure obscured in the shadows.

"She has been contacted Mistress," remarked the aide in a dazed voice.

"I am well aware of that, bug," replied a female voice obscured in the shadows coldly. "You have done a sufficient job, now be gone with you. Perhaps you may be a moderate diversion in the future from our younger ones to play with once we cast this city into darkness forever."

"You are too kind, Mistress," said the aide as a lifeless, soulless look appeared in his eyes.

"I know, I am the charitable sort," replied the female. "You did your small part, but now the trap has been sufficiently set, now that meddlesome mortal will pay. She will learn a valuable lesson from stealing from us. The males of our clan may have allowed the book to slip away, but they have been punished and forced into slave labor by the more superior female members of our clan. They are nothing but strong arms, muscle to carry out our aims, the vision of Mistress Eskara."

The aide looked on in his trance, not a word Eskara had said had been heard, he was just in a mindless stupor over her.

"I must depart now," said Eskara. "My bloodlust will be fulfilled and all will perish, including the traitor. He must learn the price for fraternizing with you bugs. For now, I need nourishment."

"Please don't leave me, take me with you Mistress I'll do anything, I need you," begged the aide but a loud pop was heard before a bat flew from the corridors. The aide shook his head, as he began to lift from his trance, with no memories of his time under her control, just like Mistress Eskara had intended. He was useful in only baiting her prey into the trap where her slaves would be waiting to strike.

Two hooded figures managed to make their way to a snow drift, as they held up their wands. With the Muggle police barely able to navigate through the snow and the Aurors attempting to enable smooth travel through the city, it would have been easy to slip into the bank and get some additional cash to supplement their income. These two hooded figures were a pair of lazy young wizards who had used their magic to steal from Muggles but this was a bit bigger job than they had ever taken on before. Knocking off a bank would be like nothing they had ever seen, but by the time the snow thawed, they would have already have been out of the country with the take split down the middle.

"Alohomora," muttered one of the thieves but while the lock clicked open, the doors were still frozen shut.

"Ah man, now what?" whined the second thief. "How can we get the money if we can't get inside?"

"Shut up, there has to be a spell we can use," said the first thief, as he attempted to thief. "Dude, I like so totally got it."

"What, man?" asked the second thief.

"I know, bro, we can so vanish the ice around the door, and we can get inside, to cash in," suggested the first thief before he frowned. "Do you even known a vanishing charm?"

"Man, you're supposed to be the brains of this outfit," argued the second thief.

"Shut up and let me think!" snapped the first thief as he frowned, waving his wand.

"I believe you can do your thinking in jail," remarked a calm female voice and the two thieves whirled around.

"Dude, did you say that?" asked the first thief.

"No, dude, I thought you did," replied the second thief in a dopey voice before they came to realize who that they weren't alone. Hailey stood there, in a modified black phantom costume, wearing a thick black ski mask along with an equally thick black trenchcoat, gloves, and snow boots, all charmed to help her withstand temperatures from down to negative thirty degrees for the next three hours.

Before the thieves could summon enough brain cells to formulate a plan of attack, a stunning spell fired by Hailey knocked one of the thieves unconscious. The other thief's eyes widened before he bolted out in the other direction, hoping to lose his mysterious attacker.

"They always run," replied Hailey with a smirk, as she decided she would have a nice little skill sharpening session today, allowing the second thief to get a few minute start, before she pulled out, her broomstick, and shot up, careful to maneuver against the heavy gusts of wind that blew snow drifts throughout New York. "He shouldn't have gotten all that far."

In the lair, Harry was just finishing up telling his brothers and Master Splinter the events of the past few months since he had last spoken to them.

"Wow, those goblins are being very difficult," summarized Don.

"Sadly, it's the way their race is, they are mostly neutral unless the Ministry of Magic decides to do something that breaks the goblin treaties and believe me, goblins have very detailed standards on what they perceive to be a breach as oppose to the looser standards of the Ministry," said Harry before he sighed. "Not to mention the fact that Voldemort's attempting to convince the goblins that his followers are being victimized by the Ministry for having different beliefs, despite the fact that there are many within the Ministry in Voldemort's pocket and the fact that goblins want the right to use the wand, well you can see why some goblins are willing to be swayed by Voldemort. If only for a short amount of time at the very least."

"Yeah, Harry, it doesn't seem too good," agreed Leo. "Voldemort's starting to spread but you'll stop him. You have to."

"Yes, he will but do remember this, it will not be easy," added Master Splinter. "Lord Voldemort's worked many years towards his goals and just because you managed to put a few of his key followers down, he will be much harder to defeat, especially for the fact that as long as he has the Horcruxes, he cannot be killed. Still, I have faith in you, Harry, but this alliance with Voldemort and the Shredder has been troubling me for some time."

Harry stared, he had just mentioned it in passing a few times in the past but it has obviously been something had been troubling Master Splinter for quite some time. It had been cast out of Harry's mind briefly, because there had been other things on his mind, but now that his sensei had mentioned it, it did seem worrying.

"Yes, but so far it's been Shredder assisting Voldemort and he hasn't gotten anything in control," offered Don, breaking the silence.

"And that is a big problem," interjected Raph. "If Shredder's been offering all this help he wants something in return. He ain't the generous sort."

"Exactly my thoughts Raphael," agreed Master Splinter with a nod. "Oroku Saki is, if nothing else…"

A loud thumping sound echoed from outside the lair, which caused Leo, Mikey, Don, Raph, and Harry to assume a battled position.

"Something's out there," muttered Leo.

"Yes, we figured that much, Leo," replied Raph dryly. "But does it know we're in here?"

Another loud thump answered that question as they stepped forward.

"Maybe it will go away if we ignore it," suggested Mikey hopefully but a more urgent thump echoed from outside the lair.

"Let me in you meddlesome mutants, I know you're in there!" rasped a pained, but surly, voice from outside.

"Is that who I think he is?" asked Don.

"Unfortunately, it sounds like it," retorted Raph.

"Open the door and find out but be prepared to strike should our guest try anything," whispered Master Splinter.

"I can hear you, rat, us vampires have super hearing!" yelled the voice from outside the door. "Now let me in before they find me."

Harry sighed before he pressed the button, causing the door to swing open and the ragged form of Regulus Black to gimp into the lair, looking rather worse for wear.

"Shut the door Potter, unless you want them to come in!" snapped Regulus in a surly tone.

"Well since you asked so nicely," replied Harry sarcastically as he shut the door behind Regulus, but the four Turtles didn't relax their stance.

"Put down those weapons, you know it's me," said Regulus calmly as he sank down onto the couch, wincing as he clutched his ribs but the Turtles still stood there with their weapons still drawn.

"That's the problem," Black," replied Raph, the incident where Black sold a map leading to the lair to the Squib Inquisition still fresh on his mind.

"So, tell us, Regulus, what's with the sudden urgency to get away from someone?" asked Harry.

The thief made his way around outside, he looked from side to side and looked up, before he screamed as Hailey dove towards him on her Firebolt and the thief stumbled forward, before he bolted and then slid right onto a patch of ice.

Hailey stopped short, surprise mounting her as the thief had been frozen alive right before her eyes. The spot where the thief had been frozen had small, light, spiral waves of blue light emitting from the building right next to it, a large impressive looking glass building.

Hailey looked, the sudden realization coming to the girl that she had an idea where the mystical box was being located but she needed to find Harry and tell him.

Before Hailey could make her move, a black bat swooped from the sky before it dive bombed towards Hailey, fangs bared. Hailey gave a small surprised shriek, before she dodged to the right, but the bat remained persistent and went after Hailey, which caused the Potter girl to lose control of her broomstick and skid out of control, before she flew right to the ground landing face first into the snow drift.

Hailey felt something sink into the back of her neck and everything around her faded to an aura of fuzziness.

"So exactly what is this all about Black?" demanded Raph more forcefully then Harry was.

"Patience, terrapin," replied Regulus as he massaged his side. "First you must realize that even if I was only partially turned into a vampire, I still have enough qualities of the creature to be considered to be one of them and I've done things that could be considered to be traitorous to the entire vampire creed."

Regulus looked around, deciding to cut to the chase.

"I need to live in colder environments obviously, but earlier today a group of her minions found me in my underground, refrigerated domain, and decided to question my loyalty," continued Regulus. "Obviously my attempts to show them the door weren't well received and they decided to attack me, to bring me to her so she could decide what to do with me."

"I'm sure your Black Wand buddies would have been able to jump in to help, Black," remarked Raph in a forceful voice.

"Yes, they would, but they are on various missions in an attempt to find information on the Dark Lord," answered Regulus. "None of them are currently in the city, so I think that even your miniscule brains could comprehend that."

"Who is this woman you keep mentioning?" asked Don, in an attempt to steer the conversation in another direction before Raph cracked Regulus's skull open.

"She's called Eskara, she's an extremely powerful vampire, in fact she's the alpha female for the French Canadian Vampire Legion," continued Regulus coolly and Harry's eyebrows raised at the name of the vampire tribe, in sudden realization. "I have a very good reason to believe that she was behind the recent drastic weather changes when she swiped the mystical box."

"You mean you knew all this time and you didn't tell anyone!" yelled Harry angrily, losing his temper.

"Potter, I don't have time to clue the American Wizarding Government on every little fugitive vampire that steals an artifact, besides it didn't find out about it until a couple of weeks ago and it wouldn't do much good as I have no idea where Eskara is anywhere," remarked Regulus calmly. "Of course, I should also probably mention that the French Canadian Vampire Legion does not tolerating stealing so as we speak they may be setting a trap for your mother at the American Wizarding Government headquarters under the guise of an urgent meeting."

"What?" demanded Harry.

"Perhaps you would like me to spell it out in smaller, simpler terms Potter," said Regulus but Harry had heard him perfectly the first time and pulled out his communication mirror to get in touch with his mother as quickly as possible, to alert her that a trap might be sprung.

Hailey stumbled into her room, feeling very light headed and extremely ill as she collapsed on her bed. To be honest, she couldn't say exactly how she got from where she was to her room. In fact, she really couldn't remember much of anything over the last few minutes, as she laid flat on her bed, the will to move having left her. Perhaps if she had laid down for a few minutes, she could collect her thoughts fully to remember what she was doing recently.

Hailey rolled over, her eyes shut as she absent mindedly touched a pair of bright red nasty fang marks on the back of her neck.

Alexandra looked up from her paperwork surprised to see that Lily was standing in her office.

"Lily, my isn't this a pleasant surprise," said Alexandra in a surprised tone which caused Lily to frown at her friend.

"What do you me, I thought you had your aide sent for me?" inquired Lily in a confused voice.

"No, sorry, I haven't sent for anyone," said Alexandra with a frown, something was obviously very wrong and the temperature in her office started to a substantial margin.

"Something's not right," muttered Lily as she heard footsteps.

"Lily, not meaning to alarm you, but security is on minimum today, because of the heavy amount of Aurors helping with the city cleanup," remarked Alexandra. "If someone tried, they might be able to force their way inside."

Lily felt her mirror heat up and hastened to remove it from her pocket, to see Harry's frantic face.

"Mum, it's a trap there's…." started Harry but the office door swung open to reveal a small group of male vampires, dressed in slightly modified roman gladiator outfits, causing the two witches to back up slightly, preparing for an attack.

"Kill the brunette, but take the red head, because Mistress Eskara wants her alive, she has the book," remarked one of the male vampires as Lily and Alexandra took on their wands to defend themselves, despite the odds being against their favor.


	29. Chapter 29: Shadows over New York Pt II

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Shadows of New York Part Two:**

Alexandra and Lily exchanged looks as their vampire attackers advanced on them threateningly.

"They want me, because I stole that bloody book, but I'm not going to let them," hissed Lily as she sent a blinding jet of light from her wand that caused the vampires to back off. Alexandra did the same thing and the vampires backed off until they were out of the office. The door swung shut and Alexandra levitated her desk in front of it to stall the vampires.

"That should hold them for maybe a minute, long enough for us to get out of here," said Alexandra as she made her way towards a vent but Lily had blasted a hole through the back of the wall just as the vampires smashed their way through the door, one using their strength to toss the desk to the side before they advanced on the two witches who had slipped through the hole and down a dark corridor.

Over their shoulders, Lily and Alexandra sent several more bright jets of light over their shoulders to stall the vampires further, who back to back off until the bright lights faded.

"The Aurors should be on their way," muttered Alexandra as she placed her wand to a large stone door causing it to slide open. "This way Lily, through here, there's a secret exit through here that we can get out of harm's way until the Aurors arrive."

Lily nodded as she followed her friend through the stone door, which slid shut behind them, knowing full well that the vampires would catch up in no time if they did not move quickly.

In the warehouse above the lair, the four Turtles, Harry, and Regulus made there way up through the elevator towards the Battle Shell. As Don pressed a button to open the warehouse garage door for the battle shell, nothing happened. A few more presses of the button and Don came to an unfortunate realization.

"The door's frozen shut, we can't get out," said Don in a horrified voice.

"Yes, we gathered that much," replied Raph dryly. "Harry, can't you melt the ice or something with magic?"

"I could but it would take too long," said Harry. "We need to get to the American Wizarding Government headquarters right away, so there could be another way."

"How about we use the Turtle Tunneler?" suggested Mikey.

"That actually might work," admitted Leo. "There is a subway exit not far from the lair, the tunneler should be able to even break through all that snow and ice to get there soon enough."

Don nodded in confirmation and the others made their way back down to the lair to get the Turtle Tunneler, hoping they were not too late.

Back in the American Wizarding Government headquarters, Lily and Alexandra reached the end of the stone corridor and Alexandra stopped cold, where the exit point should have been.

"Damn, frozen shut," cursed Alexandra and a thumping sound from down the corridor indicated that they were about to have company and the two instinctively held their wands out, ready to fight and sure enough, several vampires slowly walked down the hallway.

The vampire made a quick movement towards Alexandra but Lily managed to catch it off guard with a banishing spell, allowing Alexandra to wrap thick ropes around the arms and legs of a second vampire. Three more vampires made their way forward but were sent backwards by bright jets of light but it seemed like they were less effective in this corridor then they were earlier and only stalled the vampires for seconds.

Lily stepped in front of the vampires, and waved her wand, causing a large ball of fire to materialize in mid air in front of them and she banished it towards the vampires but it only moved a few centimeters before it slowly froze in mid air. The ball of ice dropped to the ground and shattered, sending jagged pieces of ice towards Lily and Alexandra, who were forced to banish them with their wands quickly, to avoid being hit.

The vampires continued to advance on them in a tenuous manner, as they sent more jets of light towards the vampires, but both witches were running out of ideas that would work against vampires. They were slowed by two things, fire and sunlight, neither of which seemed to be working anyway.

"We need an exit!" yelled Alexandra as they sent more light but the vampires almost seemed to be brushing the light aside and the unfortunate realization that they ran out of room was all too apparent.

In an instant, rumbling underneath their feet caused the vampires to look on in surprise and the Turtle Tunneler burrowed out of the ground, before the top popped out to reveal the four Turtles and Harry with weapons drawn, as they looked at the vampires who made a movement.

"We must destroy all that oppose us!" cried one of the vampires and two of the vampires grabbed Mikey by the legs and pulled him off, but Raph leapt up, kicking the vampires back but it barely phased them. A thunderous blow clipped Raph across the back, as Don and Leo engaged some more vampires in battle, but their weapons barely scratched the vampires.

"Fools, your little ninja toys are useless against vampires, magic barely even phases them, especially in the colder environment," lectured Regulus.

"I don't see you trying to help!" snapped Raph as he managed to flip one of the vampires over with his feet, it very nearly attempting to sink its fangs into Raph's neck. The vampire collided with another one and Don leapt up, before he cracked his Bo Staff right over the back of his attacker but the vampire blasted Don backwards, not even feeling the blow.

"I hate to say this, but Regulus is right, there is no way we can defeat these bloody vampires hand to hand!" yelled Harry as he spun around and grabbed a vampire, before he flipped it to the ground. Waving his wand, a jet of light caused the vampires to back up just a little bit. "Everyone, get into the Tunneler, I have an idea to hold them off."

Leo, Don, Mikey, Raph, Lily, and Alexandra made there way to the Tunneler, and climbed inside as Harry stood right by the vampires, another jet of light blasting at them before he waved his wand in a circular motion. Several large rings of fire shot from his wand, promptly merging together.

"Harry, that won't work for too long, the fire attacks just freeze," cautioned Lily and sure enough the fire began to slowly freeze, which allowed the vampires some movement but Harry had already leapt up towards the Tunneler, with Raph and Mikey helping him inside.

"Gun it, Leo!" yelled Harry and the Tunneler blasted back underneath the ground, just as the fire completely froze but the Tunneler was already underneath the ground and on its way back towards the lair.

"You do realize that those vampires won't give up that easily," chimed in Regulus.

"Yes, we realize that Regulus," said Lily in a patient voice. "They'll be back, in greater numbers, more than a few rings of fire can hold off."

"Considering who their leader is rumored to be," offered Alexandra. "Eskara, that female vampire that was wanted for crimes in twenty countries, including many vicious assaults on small magical communities in Canada."

"Rumored, I know without a shadow of a doubt Eskara is the leader, Morgan," said Regulus in a calm voice. "She would kill us all without blinking or on a good day, she would turn everyone that opposed her into mindless slaves. All humans are to her are toys for her own amusement."

"Sounds like someone with some serious issues," said Leo darkly.

"Is she aligned with Voldemort?" asked Harry.

"She and the Dark Lord have met before, but the Dark Lord, despite his best efforts, is only human and thus Eskara would consider him to be below her notice," answered Regulus. "The Dark Lord may think that the French Canadian Vampire legion is on his side, but the vampires are rogue that they despise all humanity."

"Kind of like you," muttered Raph under his breath.

"Unlike most vampires, I recognize the benefits of cooperating with humans and that makes me a traitor to them," said Regulus mildly. "A small group of vampires that have willingly put themselves under the service of the Dark Lord are treated with as much contempt although the Dark Lord tends to overlook this in his pursuit for ultimate power. Eskara would attempt to put down Voldemort if he attempted to insert himself in and tell her vampires what to do."

"And now she has a powerful mystical device that is bringing one of the largest cities in the world to its knees," concluded Lily darkly and Harry nodded, for once he was at a loss how to win.

"We need to find a way to beat be able to fight those vampires," said Harry, as he turned to Regulus.

"Well, I'm going to tell you this right now, I personally had an allergic reaction to garlic that I most certainly didn't have before I was a vampire, when it touched my skin" said Regulus slowly. "It's not the ultimate defeater of vampires as many of those wretched Muggle horror movies put it out to be but it should do the trick. The problem is, unless we can find the mystical box, we have no way of defeating Eskara and the rest of her vampire minions."

"Then we need to get back to the lair to better plan out our strategy," said Leo.

"Agreed and do we have garlic at the lair?" asked Harry with a completely straight face.

"Yes, we should have some," answered Leo promptly.

"Good," said Harry calmly. "When I get back to the lair, I'll need both your weapons and all the garlic we have. I've got a plan."

The group of male vampires that stormed the American Wizarding Government headquarters, walked up to Eskara, who had sat above them on a throne, with a pair of female vampires on either side, each looking down at their male counterparts if they were something that had been scraped off the bottom of their shoes.

"Report," said Eskara in an ice cold tone of voice.

"Mistress, we beg your forgiveness, but we were unable to capture the one called Lily Potter," reported one of the vampires.

"Why not?" asked Eskara.

"Well, we nearly had them, but they showed up, the mutant turtle creatures and Harry Potter. They managed to get Lily Potter and the Head of the American Wizarding Government out of there, alive" replied the vampire and Eskara rose to her feet, before she stepped down. In an instant, she viciously back handed the vampire across the face, which sent him down to the ground.

"Harry Potter is now wise to my plans," said Eskara, her eyes flashing with malice. "The boy is slightly above most mere mortals in power, but I'll be damned if I let a mere whelp of a child stop me. New York City will be buried under ice, the sun will never shine in this town again. This will be the beginning of us vampires taking back the world that was stolen from us."

Her fellow vampires nodded in unison, at one point, vampires lived all over the world, but now they were forced into exile into the colder regions of the world.

"The traitor made contact with Potter, he will be destroyed as well," continued Eskara. "This time, I will personally deal with Harry Potter."

"When shall we depart, Mistress?" questioned one of the female vampires.

"If the stories are true, then Harry Potter will foolishly come to us, along with his terrapin friends," replied Eskara icily. "His blind devotion to a world that would shun him when his usefulness is outlived is quiet sickening but he does have a use."

The other vampires in the room looked at Eskara in a questioning manner.

"You will all find out soon enough," replied Eskara coldly. "Right now, we must make plans for our siege of the city as soon as the rituals are complete and the sun is completely blocked out from reaching this city."

Back in the lair, Harry had all of his brothers weapons along with his weapons laid out on the table, as his mother sat on the couch with Regulus and Alexandra.

"I've sent word to the American Wizarding Government that I am in a safe house, not to come looking for me, but I did tell them to keep an eye out for any strange activity around the area of the warehouse," explained Alexandra.

"Alex, do you really think they can find us here?" asked Lily which Regulus snorted.

"Obviously if they were able to breach the wards of a town, they could easily penetrate a little sink hole with this," replied Regulus but both Alexandra and Lily ignored the snarky vampire.

"I don't know, but it's always a possibility," said Alexandra in a resigned voice. "I'm starting to feel the effects of having sat behind a desk all those years, I'm out of practice in dueling, I could barely hold off those vampires."

"You did fine enough, Harry could barely hold them off," said Lily who looked worried. "I hope this plan of Harry's works."

"It will, it has to," replied Alexandra, but there was a lingering amount of doubt evident in her eyes.

From the kitchen, Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey exited it, carrying all the garlic they could, with Master Splinter following closely behind.

"That's all of it, Harry," confirmed Leo.

"Should be just enough, barley, we need a fighting advantage," muttered Harry as he picked up Mikey's nunchucks and a piece of garlic, before he magically fused the pieces of garlic on the ends and center of the nunchucks.

"I get it, if there is garlic on our weapons, it would effect the vampires when we hit them," said Don.

"Yes, quite right, using the vampires' allergic reaction to garlic is quiet ingenious Harry, but do remember that a quick fix will only get so far," cautioned Master Splinter.

"Yes, but this is only until we find a definite way to beat those vampires for good and to do so, we need to find a way to reverse the weather changing process as there is no way they can thrive in a warm climate," responded Harry as he modified Leo's katana, followed by Raph's Sais, and Don's Bo Staff, with just enough garlic.

"You didn't leave any for yourself Harry," said Mikey in surprise but Harry raised his wand in a significant manner. "Oh yeah, right, the fire thing."

"Okay, the weapons have been properly modified," said Harry as he looked up. "I figure we need to split into two teams to properly tackle this issue. Mum, you, Alexandra, and Regulus can search above ground and myself, Master Splinter, and the guys can search below ground."

"Make sense. After all you six have a better understanding of the sewer system," admitted Lily with a nod.

"And if we find anything, we contact each other on the mirrors," added Leo.

"Most importantly, we are going after dangerous dark creatures, so be careful," added Alexandra and the others nodded, before they set off to go their separate ways.

In the Potter residence, Hailey opened her eyes, a burning sensation filling her body. She quickly kicked the blankets on her bed and rose up to her feet, feeling extremely weak and dizzy, nearly collapsing from heat exhaustion. As quick as she could manage under her severely weakened condition, towards the bathroom, before she turned on the cold water. Taking her hands and splashing the ice cold water in her face only gave Hailey a bit of relief.

Instinctively, Hailey looked up at the mirror to her reflection and stepped back slightly. Her auburn hair was nearly turned black and her eyes turned from emerald green into a nearly vibrant red. Her skin had become increasingly pale since the moment she had collapsed a couple of hours ago.

Sweat rolled down Hailey's face, as heat began to consume her body with every second so she did the only thing she thought was logical, she bolted from the bathroom, managing to stagger down the steps, and she reached the front door. With all the energy she could muster, Hailey pushed the door open, before she staggered out of the front door and collapsed face first the snow. The below zero temperatures outside and the blistering winds made Hailey feel at piece, but in her mind, it felt as if the girl's humanity was being stripped slowly away.

At that moment, two vampires swooped down, slowly morphing in their humanoid form after having been patrolling over the city in the form of bats. They had sensed a weakened, partially turned vampire laying in the snow. As they arrived to the ground, their suspicions proved to be well founded.

"We must get her out of here, it could compromise the Mistress's plans," replied one of the vampires as she looked down at the figure laying in the snow.

"Absolutely, let us bring her," agreed the second female vampire, as they scooped up the partially turned vampire, before they quickly moved before any Aurors had noticed their presence.

In the sewers, Raph, Don, Mikey, Leo, Master Splinter, and Harry walked down each tunnel but it seemed to be getting more frigid from each tunnel.

"Look!" shouted Mikey as he pointed towards an underground river that had been frozen solid.

"None of the water had been frozen since we got here," replied Raph.

"That means that the mystical box can't be far away," said Harry as he walked down the corridor.

"Stop, my sons," prompted Master Splinter and the Turtles and Harry stopped. Master Splinter picked up a large rock and threw it towards the next doorway. In a second, the rock froze solid, as if suspended in mid air.

"Whoa, dude!" exclaimed Mikey but Harry stopped, it was very hard to tell in the darkness of the sewer but he saw small waves of magical energy spiraling from the doorway, light blue waves that looked similar to most freezing spells.

"Look closely at the doorway," said Harry and Don nodded his head, with the others following slowly, Master Splinter just standing there, he had sensed it first.

"We obviously can't go through," grumbled Raph.

"We go up, there's no other way," replied Leo. "The best I can figure is we are underneath the abandoned Cayman Observatory Facility."

"That old place's been abandoned for years," said Raph.

"So it would be a perfect place for all sorts of creatures that go bump in the night to take up residence in," concluded Mikey as Harry removed his mirror from his pocket.

"Mum, are you there?" inquired Harry and Lily's face appeared on the mirror, so Harry decided to give the information. "We have a good idea where the mystical box is, it's underneath the abandoned Cayman Observation Facility."

"Really, Harry, it just so happens that Alexandra, Regulus, and I are outside of that place right now," replied Lily. "And it's emitting…"

"Light blue rays of magical energy," cut in Harry and Lily nodded. "They also freeze anything that touches them solid."

"Yes, we know," confirmed Lily. "Regulus reckons that he knows a way inside around the back, but he's back now to check out those waves aren't coming from the back as well."

"Well they are coming from underneath as well," said Harry. "A brief trip to the surface and we'll join you when you get in."

"Harry, that won't be…" started Lily, but his mother was cut off.

"Mum, Mum are you there!" shouted Harry in a horrified voice as he leaned his ear towards the mirror.

Above ground, Lily and Alexandra backed off as Regulus had a smug look plastered on his face, as he motioned for a group of male vampires to move forward.

"There they are," prompted Regulus. "I believe our deal has concluded."

"BLACK, YOU TRAITORIOUS BASTARD!" shouted Alexandra but Lily grabbed the sleeve of her friend's robes to prevent her from attacking him.

"Yes, Regulus Black, the Mistress will be pleased that you lead those two straight to us," said one of the male vampires. "She has plans for the thief to join the other one."

"Okay, Lily, you normally have a good idea right about now," hissed Alexandra, the realization that she had spent way too much time sitting behind a desk recently and not enough time thinking on her feet as she fought for something like this.

"Let them capture us, don't fight," whispered Lily and Alexandra looked at Lily like she had gone insane. "They'll lead us right inside and to the mystical device."

Four of the vampires reached forward, two grabbing Lily and the other two grabbing Alexandra, as Regulus stood back, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Why?" asked Lily in a cool voice.

"I'm a Slytherin, a snake, and it's my nature to save my own skin," muttered Regulus in a low voice, so only Lily and him could hear him, before he spoke loud enough for his voice to be picked up by the mirror. "It's nice to see our plan to trick them had worked, soon the Turtles and Harry Potter will be in our grasp."

Back in the sewer, the Turtles, Harry, and Master Splinter looked disgusted at what they heard.

"That no good, that horrid, that double crossing…" started Raph but Harry shook his head.

"We need to find a way inside," said Harry in a forced calm voice. "There is one way we can still get in that they won't expect, from above."

"I shall stand guard here my sons and let you know if there is any trouble," suggested Master Splinter, as he leaned on his walking stick.

"Right, Master Splinter, now let's go," prompted Leo, as he made his way around towards the nearest exit, with Mikey, Raph, Don, and Harry following him as they made there out of the sewer.

On the roof just adjacent from the abandoned Cayman Observatory Facility, The Turtles and Harry looked across, where the blue light waves only reached the second to last floor but didn't touch the roof in any area.

"Looks like you were right Harry," said Raph. "Still if we drop…"

"I know," replied Harry darkly as he looked across the street but Don surveyed the sky above, something appeared very peculiar.

"There's ice crystals suspended in the sky, but scientifically speaking that's impossible," said Don.

"Magically speaking it's highly unlikely," added Harry. "We can't worry about that now, we need to get inside, get Mum and Alexandra out safely, and disable the device, let's move."

Very gingerly, Harry leapt from one building to another, with Don, Leo, Raph, and Mikey following suit. Looking around, Harry attempted to scope out an entry point.

"There's our ticket in!" shouted Mikey as he pointed to a section of the roof that seemed to be a bit weaker than all the others. "Shouldn't be too much problem to cave it in with a little effort."

Harry raised his wand and blasted a hole through the roof, large enough for his brothers to slip inside, with Harry slowly following behind.

"Okay, that works too," admitted Mikey but in an instant, several male vampires walked down the corridor, ready to atone from their past failures.

"Kill the Turtles, capture Harry Potter!" declared what appeared to be the leaders curtly but the Turtles withdrew their weapons. The vampires didn't seem to be phased by this action, until they realized their adversaries weapons were coated in garlic.

"Attack!" shouted Leo, and the four Turtles moved into battle, the vampires backing away with horrified shrieks with Don's Bo Staff connecting with the uncovered chest of one of the vampires, causing it to blister. Two vampires tried to attack Mikey, but Mikey swung around, before he cracked them right across the faces with the garlic chucks, causing their cheeks to swell up to epic proportions.

One of the vampires grabbed Raph, fangs bared and ready to bite down onto the terrapin's neck.

"EAT THIS!" screamed Raph as he stabbed the Sai into the mouth of the vampire. The vampire backed off, his lips swelling up and Raph took advantage of his allergic reaction and flung him across the room.

Leo whirled around and sliced the chest of one of the vampires with his katana. This attack caused the vampire to give an inhumane shriek as it dropped to the ground.

Several vampires advanced on Harry, but Harry concentrated hard, before he conjured a large ball of blinding orange light, before he tapped his wand towards it and it began to hiss.

"To the stairway, quickly, if my calculations are correct, the mystical box is the next level down!" shouted Harry and Leo, Don, Raph, and Mikey ran, knocking out a few vampires, before Harry blasted the door open and made his way down the stairs, with his brothers following closely behind just as the orange ball exploded, filling the corridor with blinding sunlight.

"Are they…" started Mikey, but Harry shook his head.

"They're severely weakened but only exposure to a massive amount of sunlight can destroy them, something that no wizard can conjure," said Harry quickly as they made there way towards a circular room, leading to a large glass door.

Harry stepped forward and peered through the glass. There was a small, wooden box with several cords hooked to it, leading to what looked to be telescopes left behind, modified to emit the blue magical waves that were causing the weather in the city.

"Everyone on your toes, it seems too easy," muttered Harry as he waved his wand, causing the door to open and slipped inside. The others soon joined him, as they crept around, careful not to move quickly to trigger any type of defense.

A second later, the door behind them swung shut. Raph and Mikey sprung around, and attempted to pry the door open, but it was no good. It seemed to be sealed shut on his own accord.

"Something tells me that we walked right into a trap," said Leo.

"Extremely astute, mutant," replied an icy cold female voice, as she walked out of the shadows, with several female vampires flanking her, all with crystal blue eyes and jet black hair.

"Eskara, I presume," remarked Harry in an equally calm voice.

"You presume correctly, human," said Eskara coldly as she surveyed Harry with disdain. "The famous Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, you don't seem as impressive as I were lead to believe. Then again, the human race is so easily amused that it's pitiful."

Eskara stood, her minions looking at the Turtles and Harry with a lack of emotion, if they were not allowed to show anything other than their blank expressions.

"As you mentioned, my agents in this city worked with a small time criminal who called himself Chronos, supplying him with a wide variety of weaponry that was developed up in Canada," continued Eskara. "He served as a distraction long enough for my followers to swipe the mystical box and set it up at this long forgotten place, which will serve as a palace to my new world for vampires. Humans will resume their rightful place as slave labor to us magical creatures, and New York City is just the beginning, as soon as enough humans are sacrificed, the artifact will have enough power to envelope the entire world but with just one sacrifice, I can ensure the sun will never shine on New York City again."

"Okay, lady, are you cracked in the head, there's no way we're letting you get away with this and in fact, we'll bust your little toy!" yelled Raph, as he prepared to fight, with the other Turtles and Harry nodded, their faces set in a determined expression.

"You mutants are not unlike these humans in your arrogance, as if I would allow you to stop me," replied Eskara as she motioned for her vampires to bring a figure with her face covered. "I knew you would attempt to stop me, so it was quite fortunate that when I well I fulfilled my needs tonight, I converted someone you five know very well."

Two of the vampires removed the cloak of the face, to reveal Hailey Potter which caused her brothers to step back in absolute horror.

"NO!" shouted all five of them in unison, as they took in her features, dark jet black hair hung from her face, her skin was pale, and as her mouth opened, it appeared that she had started to grow fangs.

"She'll be one of us soon enough, the conversion process is not complete, but to get to us, you'll going to have to hurt her," said Eskara in wicked tone. "Of course, since I was the one who bit her, I can hurt her, unless you drop your weapons and your wand as well, Mr. Potter."

Leo, Don, Raph, Mikey, and Harry looked at each other, realizing they had no choice but to agree and several weapons, along with Harry's wand dropped to the ground as Eskara nodded approvingly, before she snapped her fingers and two of her followers swooped forward, before they pulled Harry to the side.

The alpha female vampire stepped to the side and tweaked a knob on one of the telescopes, before she spun around and a large jet of blue light flew through the room causing Harry to gasp in horror.

Leo, Don, Raph, and Mikey had all been frozen solid, without little thought at all from Eskara and she casually spun the telescope back out the window.

"They will not interfere and in a matter of moments, they will die from a combination of a lack of oxygen and severe hypothermia," said Eskara coldly as she looked at Harry. "The other two are safe for the moment, in the holding cells in the basement, they're will be plenty of time to deal with them later.

Eskara nodded to the two vampires that were holding and a large stone table rose from the ground. They threw Harry onto it, before thick anti-magical restraints shot up, binding Harry, as Eskara spun the microscope towards Harry.

"It will take a few minutes to summon enough power to sacrifice you," said Eskara shortly as she tweaked several more knobs and the telescope began to glow. "A sacrifice that will ensure the sun will never shine in this town again. In the end, Mistress Eskara will succeed where that insect Lord Voldemort failed numerous times. I can't say it's been a pleasure meeting you."

Eskara and her followers left, as Hailey turned around, a look of acknowledgement appearing in her eyes.

"Harry," muttered Hailey as the other vampires looked at their mistress for guidance.

"She still has traces of her humanity, brought out by seeing her brother in a perilous situation, but that will be lost when the conversion is full," said Eskara as she grabbed Hailey forcefully by the arm and pulled her to the outside, followed by her followers as Harry looked up, the thought that he only had scant minutes before he was the victim of some vampire ritual sacrifice to entomb New York into eternal darkness.


	30. Chapter 30: Shadows Over New York Pt III

**Chapter Thirty: Shadows over New York Part Three:**

Harry jerked his arm, attempting to free himself but it was no go, as his bindings had been tight, he couldn't reach his weapons and since they were spelled against damage caused my magic, so Harry needed a miracle to get out of this situation.

He looked over, his brothers were still frozen solid and it appeared that they would not have that much time left. The modified telescope cannon also seemed to be glowing brighter by the second, it would have nearly summoned enough power to sacrifice Harry.

Harry made one more desperate attempt to free himself but he might as well had went Bungee Jumping with a cord, because it was no good. He braced himself for the impact, he knew that there would be no way that this would be pleasant and could hardly believe the end would be like this.

Harry's eyes shot up at the door being opened. The door swung shut and he saw Regulus make his way into the room, with a calm look on his face.

"You!" hissed Harry angrily but Regulus quickly made his wave over, before he removed Harry's bindings with quick speed.

"I suggest you move Potter," muttered Regulus and Harry quickly rolled off the table, before he put up a shield charm.

Seconds later, a blinding blue light blasted from the telescope, incinerating the stone table that Harry moved. The telescope seemed to fire up again, seeming to sense that there was no sacrifice made but Harry flicked a pair of shuriken, slicing the cords connecting the telescope to the mystical box. The telescope spun around before it blew up, sending snow dropping to the crowd.

"You have some explaining to do," said Harry, before he turned his attention to other matters.

Instinctively, Harry moved over towards the frozen forms of Leo, Don, Mikey, and Raph, before he pressed his ear up to the ice.

"Potter, there is no way that they can be alive," said Regulus. "You need to get out of here, once Eskara finds out you haven't been sacrificed…"

Harry ignored Regulus, before he picked up his wand and tapped it three times to the ice wrapped around his brothers, hoping that this would be enough.

The ice began to slowly melt, allowing the Turtles enough room to break free from the ice. They staggered around, before they fell to their knees, alive, but just barely.

"Thank you Harry, we just managed to hold our breath, another few seconds…" stated Leo his voice shaking slightly.

"Fine, since your heroic activities for today are over Potter, since I got you in here, disable the box please," said Regulus dully. "I didn't fake betraying you for nothing to get you in here."

Harry stood back, preparing to wave his wand, before he attempted to summon the box but the spell only traveled a few inches before it vanished in mid air. He pulled out a dagger and attempted to disable the box that way, but the dagger froze in mid air.

"Well, that's lovely, you can't even touch it," replied Raph and a loud shrill siren echoed through the building, which caused the Turtles to leap to their feet shakily, still weakened from the effects of being frozen.

"We need to get moving now!" ordered Regulus but Harry shook his head.

"I'm not leaving without Alexandra, Mum, or Hailey, they will be killed if we go," said Harry stubbornly.

"Fine, if you want to doom the entire city, Potter!" snapped Regulus and Harry just ignored him as his brothers rose up, before collecting their weapons. "I don't know about your sister, but the other two are being held in a holding cell in the basement."

They bolted out of the door, before they made their way down the stairway, thankfully receiving no resistance.

"So, exactly how far are we from the basement?" inquired Harry.

"Half way," said Regulus, as the Turtles staggered.

"Don't wait up for us," said Leo, who still appeared to be a little bit weak from our flash frozen.

"Yeah, get to the basement, for those vampires get you," added Mikey.

"No one's being left behind," said Harry and he used a small warming charm on his brothers to give them relief and they made their way down the stairs.

"Okay, I don't like this, we should have met someone by now," remarked Leo.

"Don't jinx it Leo?" asked Raph as Don stopped, removing a small remote control device from underneath his wrist band. "What now?"

"Well, we're going to need transportation out of here, I just hope this thing hasn't been damaged when we were frozen," said Don quickly as they made their way down the stairs.

"The basement's through here," informed Regulus and Harry blasted the door open, to see his mother and Alexandra in separate holding cells. Harry picked up their wands, which were laying on the table, before he sprung open the doors. In a blink of the eye, Harry tossed each wand to the two witches.

"Hailey, where is she, we need to find her?" asked Harry.

"Harry, what does your sister have to do with this?" questioned Lily and Harry paled, his mother didn't know and he really didn't want to be the one enlighten.

"I can answer that," replied the cold voice of Eskara as she stepped onto the scene with a group of female vampires and Lily paled when she realized somehow, her daughter had been transformed into a vampire. "She's now under my control and now I'll finish you all completely."

"Sorry to break it to you lady, but if my calculations are correct, in twelve seconds, your plans will be derailed," countered Don and sure enough, the Turtle Tunneler popped up from beneath the basement, causing Eskara's vampires to scatter in surprise.

"Take them out, it's nothing but a foolish toy," replied Eskara but Harry leapt in front of them, with his wand raised. "You don't hope to take all of us out."

"No," fired back Harry as his wand glowed yellow, before filling the room with a blinding, high quanity of yellow light, causing the vampires to weaken, but Harry made his move, grabbing his sister by the wrist. She resisted. "Hailey, listen. If you're still in there somewhere, you need to come with me, you don't have to stay here."

"No, stop them, your duty is to me," ordered Eskara in a forceful voice but Harry had sent another couple of jets of light, before he managed to somehow get Hailey to enter the Turtle Tunneler.

The top of the tunneler popped shut and it began to dig its way deep to the ground, just as the spells that Harry had sent against the vampires had faded.

"Do not let them escape," commanded Eskara and several loud pops were heard, as her minions morphed into their bat forms before shooting down the hole in the ground right after the getaway vehicle.

"We've got bats, right behind us!" shouted Mikey as he looked nervously.

"Yes, I realize that," replied Harry as he conjured a pair of ear muffs before he placed them over Hailey's ears to protect her nearly acquired sensitive hearing from what he was going to do.

In a second, Harry waved his wand, creating a shrill, siren like sound. Regulus collapsed to his side, clutching his ears in agony, as the bats were stunned, as if suspended in mid air. The tunneler made its way further down the hole and Harry sent another shrill sonic blast from his wand, and the bats flew from Harry, to escape from the horrid sounds that were tormenting them.

"How did you do that Harry?" asked Don curiously.

"A rare spell that sends super spell vibrations that only bats can pick up with their hearing and obviously vampires as well," said Harry.

"Well, we got away Potter, my ear drums are mush but we got away, but I suppose it might have slipped your mind that I'm a vampire as well and thus might have required some kind of ear protection like you gave your sister."

"Yes, slipped my mind, I was more concerned in getting out alive and the fact you could have gotten us killed with your games inside," said Harry, as he was more concerned with getting back to the lair.

"My intention was to get you inside, how was I supposed to know you couldn't touch that box?" retorted Regulus.

"Enough you two," said Lily as she looked at her daughter whose eyes flickered open weakly, she was once again weakened after being taken away from a cooler environment. "I still at a loss at how Hailey got attacked or why but we need to see exactly if we can reverse the effects of her transformation."

"Wait, you can reverse the effects of a vampire transformation," said Alexandra in a surprised voice, she had never heard of such thing.

"Yes, but only partially," chimed in Regulus. "Need I remind you that if she's in the second to last stage, the only way to reverse it is to bite the vampire who infected her with the disease."

"Eskara," muttered Hailey weakly. "Need to get to her."

"Hailey, no, fight it, don't submit to her will, you need to fight this," encouraged Harry.

"No, I need to…I need to." repeated Hailey, as her eyes flickered open. "Let me at Eskara."

"There's Master Splinter," said Leo, breaking an uncomfortable amount of silence. "I think we should pick him up and get back to the lair, to figure out what we need to do about everything."

"Yes, that would be best," replied Harry stiffly, wishing he had a way to roast Eskara like a marshmallow for what she did to Hailey. She would pay, Harry would find a way, she put his home in peril, she would have killed his mother, she tried to freeze his brothers to death, and now Hailey was on the verge of being converted into a mindless vampire slave.

In the Cayman Observatory Facility, Eskara looked at her minions, who had made their way back up the tunnel, before they transformed back into their human form.

"Mistress, we beg your forgiveness, Harry Potter did something to us, we've never seen any human have the power to do that, we had to retreat to escape it," begged one of the vampires but Eskara remained unfeeling.

"No matter what pain that mortal could make you feel, it should not have been enough to distract you from your mission," said Eskara coldly. "The traitor managed to double cross us again, and now the thief has gotten right out from under our midst. Not only that, but Harry Potter has taken one of my own. It's time that he pays for his crimes against our race."

Eskara's minions nodded to her side, refusing to look at their mistress. They were not worthy after their failure, not worthy at the least and Eskara turned her back calmly on them.

"I underestimated Harry Potter, I left his demise to chance, a mistake that I will not allow a second time," continued Eskara. "He will resume his rightful place, like all mortals, bowing down to our superior race."

"Mistress, your power is omnipotent, no way Harry Potter can stop you from completing the process, you could easily deal with him after it's completed," remarked the female vampire but Eskara turned before she angrily back handed her follower across the face. "Please, I beg your forgiveness, I shouldn't have spoke out of turn, I…"

"I can't risk the outside chance that Harry Potter would stop our glorious plan," reprimanded Eskara. "Contact me if he dares come back here before I can find him."

Eskara transformed into a bat, before the alpha vampire female flew through the window, into the city, in the hunt for Harry Potter. The young mortal could not have gotten far, she would have her prey and reclaim what is hers.

Hailey laid down on the bed in Harry's room in the lair, absolutely weak and unable to move as Lily stood over her, examining her daughter with her wand, hand shaking slightly.

"How bad is it?" asked Harry as he stood in the doorway and Lily shook her head sadly.

"The beginning to the second to last stage, she doesn't have much time left until…" said Lily. "Anyway, Alexandra has gone back to get reinforcements, Aurors to storm Eskara's strong hold."

"It won't do any good, there is no way I can shut down the box, either magical or Muggle," responded Harry in a resigned voice. "That bloody mystical box has blocked my…every attack."

Harry's eyes widened in understanding, he could have hit himself for not coming up with this idea in the past but he was more worried about his sister then about shutting the box down.

"Harry?" prodded Lily.

"It's going to take a mystical weapon to shut down a mystical device," remarked Harry. "I need to make a quick trip to Hogwarts, I sure hope this works."

Before Harry could move, his sister's eyes flickered open and she struggled to get to her feet, her eyes glowing madly, they were slowly turning from red to blue, an indicating of the second to last stage of the vampire transformation.

"Hailey, you need to lay back down, you're hurt yourself," said Lily calmly but Hailey pulled herself up, before she angrily shoved her mother backwards and made her way to the door, but Harry somersaulted his way in front of his sister, before he stood in a fighting position.

"Hailey, stand back," remarked Harry calmly, but his sister attempted to aim a punch towards him but Harry blocked it, struggling against his sister, but Hailey threw Harry across the room with a surprising burst of strength.

"No, I need to get to Eskara, it's the only way," replied Hailey, as she made her way out of the room but Harry dodged in front of her, raising his wand.

"I don't want to hurt you, Hailey but I can't let you…" stated Harry, but Hailey walloped Harry right across the face, causing her brother to crumple to the ground.

"Need to get to Eskara," repeated Hailey.

"Hailey, listen to me, this is your mother speaking, sweetheart, you need to fight it, we're going to find a way to help you," said Lily. "You can't leave."

Hailey stared at her mother, her mind clouded and Harry attempted to find his wand, which slid out of his hand, an idea form his head but his hand found its way into a small piece of a Y'Liatian power crystal that laid forgotten underneath his bed. The crystal began to glow and Hailey recoiled, her hair switching between auburn and black back in forth.

"Harry, that crystal, it's scrambling the transformation, it's trying to reverse it," said Lily.

"Harry, Mum, I'm sorry," said Hailey, as she sat down on her bed. "I need to fight, I understand."

"If only we had a bigger piece, we could have reverse it," said Lily.

"Yes, all the other pieces are in my room back at the house," replied Harry as he handed his mother the crystal fragment. "Mum, keep this on her, it seems to be causing her to retain her humanity."

"It's reversing a little bit," supplied Hailey weakly. "I still feel some dark force attempting to consume me."

"The crystal's keeping it at bay, tell Alexandra that I'll be with her and the other Aurors in a few minutes, I need to get Slytherin's Blade," said Harry, as he removed the Portus-Amulet and curse under his breath, spending an extensive amount of time close to the mystical box had froze the amulet. "This could complicate things."

"Harry, can't you thaw that out using magic?" questioned Lily but Harry shook his head no.

"Can't, charmed against any magic, for the reason why it can't be destroyed, but obviously the artifact at Eskara didn't apply to this," replied Harry. "It's going to have to be done naturally."

"Harry, use the transmat, it can get you to Hogwarts at the speed of light," replied Lily.

"Brilliant, Mum and don't worry about me getting back, my Portus-Amulet should be warmed when I get back to Hogwarts," said Harry as he made his way, straight to the elevator leading to the warehouse, before he made his way on foot to his house.

Just moments after Harry had left, the entrance point of the lair was forcibly opened from the outside, as the four Turtles stood alert, somewhat recovered from their ordeal, ready to fight but Eskara entered the lair, her face cold and indifferent as she stood face to face.

"Stand back and I make your inevitable a bit more pleasant," threatened Eskara.

"Don, Raph, cut from behind, Mikey attempt to swoop in front the side, I'll take her from the front," ordered Leo but Eskara just calmly flicked her wrist, causing the weapons of the Turtles to fly up into the air, before they disintegrated into dust.

Raph rushed forward for an attack but Eskara expertly dodged out of the way. The hot headed terrapin attempted to catch the attack on the rebound, but Eskara managed to use her might to hurl Raph into the air, and right into his brothers. A burst of white energy materialized in the lair and the Turtles were hoisted up into the air, before they were sent down. Seconds later, they were bound in tight ropes.

"I would highly suggest you don't move, unless you want to be ripped to shreds," informed Eskara, and as a result of that cold comment, Raph, Don, Mikey, and Leo remained perfectly still, knowing that the dark creature was not bluffing. "Now, claim what is mine."

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that, Eskara," said the stern voice and Master Splinter walked into the forefront and Eskara's eyes narrowed, she was obviously insulted that an aged rodent had the gall to think that he had a hope of being able to fight her.

Eskara shot the same ropes she used on the Turtles at Splinter but Splinter dodged to the side, before the aged rodent sensei landed gracefully behind her. Turning around, Splinter's walking stick cracked right into the face of Eskara. The vampire gave an angry scream as she was knocked backwards with a kick and Master Splinter landed behind her. The walking stick swung towards Eskara was caught and she hoisted Splinter up into the air with a surprising amount of strength, before she tossed him halfway across the lair, right near a pool that lead from the lair to a river.

With strength, Eskara grabbed Master Splinter. The rodent struggled but she managed to dunk Master Splinter's head under the water. Splinter struggled to hold his breath, as Eskara put pressure on Splinter's head.

A blinding jet of light filled the lair, causing Eskara to stepped back a few inches and came face to face with Lily, who stood their with a defiant look on her face, as Master Splinter managed to roll away, gasping for breath as the sensei was severely weakened.

"Give me what is mine," ordered Eskara but Lily waved her wand and sent a jet of fire but Eskara clapped her hands and it disappeared in mid air, before she knocked Lily backwards, who thankfully managed to conjure some cushions at the last minute. Lily got back up to her feet as Eskara put her hand on the door leading to the room where Hailey was resting.

Lily waved her wand, mimicking Harry's sonic vibration spell from earlier but Eskara showed visible discomfort. She managed to shut out the main and physically whip her adversary's wand out of her hand, before she bound and gagged Lily. The muggleborn witch dropped to the ground and Eskara calmly kicked her wand out of the way.

"You will not catch me off guard, again," muttered Eskara coldly, not caring exactly how the attack had an effect on her despite her ears being covered as she moved from the room and pushed the door open angrily.

Eskara walked over, unblinking and unfeeling as she reached down for Hailey, who wasn't physically able to resist. The alpha female vampire hoisted Hailey up by the hair before she slung the girl over her shoulder. With her free hand, she casually dragged Lily out of the lair, viciously kicking Master Splinter in the ribs on her way out.

"We need to find a way out of these ropes," grunted Raph. "It's starting to crush my ribs."

"If I only had my katana but Eskara vaporized it," said Leo darkly.

"I can't believe it, that's the second time today she's made us utterly helpless," said Raph. "When I get my hands on that…"

"Harry should be getting back soon, so he could let us out right?" suggested Mikey hopefully.

"Yes, that seems to be our only hope, these ropes are tight and she really knocked Master Splinter around," said Don darkly. "I don't think he can get up on his own accord even though he'll live."

A few very uncomfortable minutes later, the door of the lair opened and thankfully it was Harry who made his way back in, Slytherin's Blade tucked behind his back in a sheath and he stopped looking horrified at the state of his brothers. In an instant, Harry took out his wand and made quick work of the ropes, freeing his brothers who promptly thanked Harry.

"Eskara was the one behind this naturally, she found the lair and attacked us all," informed Leo as Harry walked over to Master Splinter who was starting to regain his senses.

"I'll live my son, she just cracked a few ribs, the damage could have been a lot worse," replied Master Splinter weakly.

"Yeah it could have, but that's not what she was after, she knocked out Lily, before walking out with her and Hailey," replied Don. "She could have easily killed us without breaking a sweat."

Harry's eye shot up, he feared that might happen and it just made the stakes even more dangerous.

"I've got the weapon and the Aurors are ready to swoop in to bring the vampires in once the mystical device is activate but I'm worried that since Eskara has two hostages, it might be a bit tricky to get in there," said Harry quickly.

"Get in there, we were taken out twice tonight by Eskara, there's no way we can stop her!" exclaimed Mikey.

"Yes there is, if we cut off the source of their power, the cold weather and the lack of sunlight caused by that mystical device, we can beat them," said Harry as he looked around. "We need to get there quickly."

"Wait a minute, where did Black head off too?" questioned Don, as it appeared that Regulus had slipped out sometime in between returning to the lair and Eskara's attack.

"Who gives a damn, we need to get back to that building, now!" snapped Raph and the others nodded, before the Turtles and Harry rushed from the lair.

Lily's eyes flickered open, as she found herself shackled to the wall and Eskara standing in front of her, with a hungry look on her face.

"Where is the book?" demanded Eskara.

"That book wasn't yours to begin with, Voldemort stole it and put it in your possession," answered Lily and she received a hard slap across the face.

"The human who had the book stole it from us, The Dark Lord gave it to us as a gesture of good faith, not that it matters as he is nothing but a pathetic little worm no matter how many times he splits his soul," said Eskara coldly. "You will hand over the book whether you want to or not, all humans break eventually, your will is not strong enough, especially once the city is under my control, only a matter of moments left."

"You'll be stopped," said Lily definitely.

"By whom, soon this city will be overrun by vampires from all around the world, it will be our base of operations, no mere mortal would dare penetrate my strong hold," said Eskara. "Yes, I believe you are still under the misguided notion that your son will save the day and I hope Harry Potter tries, because I wish to be known the world over as the one who single handily put an end to the storied Boy-Who-Lived. It will be the ultimate proof of my power."

"You talk a good game, but Harry got us out once and…" stated Lily but Eskara slapped her once again.

"Yes, he did, luck and help from that traitor, who will not pull the wool over my eyes again," declared Eskara. "Your son will fall and your daughter will be one of us. You will give me the book and then I'll put you out of your misery."

Eskara left the room, leaving two of her minions to guard Lily as she prepared for the final minutes of New York City, the final phase of the ritual to destroy every single human being in the city.

In the hallway, many vampires, both male and female waited around for the final phase but as they gazed up towards the ceiling, four mutant turtles and one wizard dropped down, ready for a fight.

"Okay, let's do this!" shouted Raph as the other three turtles nodded, but Harry held up his hand, as the vampires took a step forward.

"Wait for it," muttered Harry and in a second, a large jet of light shined into the building from multiple wands as Aurors on broomsticks circled over the building. "Now, let's get them."

Fists and feet flew everywhere, as the Turtles and Harry attacked the vampires with ruthless aggression, knocking them around every which way. A trio of vampires made their way around but Raph leapt over the top of them.

"I don't think so," replied Raph, before he wiped out two of the vampires with a leaping split kick, before he grabbed the third vampire and threw it against the wall.

Mikey somersault into the air, and wiped out one of the vampires with a leaping kick, before he flipped over a second vampire who was staggering from the light above. The vampire was spun around and got whacked right in the face by a double fist to the face.

"You know this is getting no closer to us to stopping Eskara," grunted Leo, as one of the vampires managed to get out of the range of light and wrapped his hands around Leo's throat, fangs bared but Harry sent a jet of fire from his wand, causing the vampire to stagger. Leo took advantage of the distraction by cracking the vampire across the head and tossing it into another ground that had been wiped out by Don.

Several Aurors managed to drop from the sky, placing more pressure on the vampires.

"The Junior Aurors are still circling over top, but I figured you need some people with a bit more combat experience, Harry," said Alexandra as she sent a jet of white light at the vampire, and an Auror swooped in and wiped out that vampire with a banishing spell.

"Yes, thanks, I need to get to the top floor," replied Harry, as he dodged a shot before he sent another jet of fire at the vampires, allowing Raph and Don to topple them over. "Mum and Hailey have been captured…"

"I'll find them, you're the only one who could stop the device now, but Lily would probably want me to tell you to be careful, as Eskara is likely to be up there guarding the device," said Alexandra as she watched her Aurors help Leo level another small group of vampires.

Harry nodded before handing his mother's wand off to Alexandra and walked off, knocking out the odd vampire or two on his way up.

Eskara looked out the window, the sky was nearly iced over, it would not be all that long now before New York City was completely in her grasp.

The door burst open and two of her minions burst in looking absolutely terrified.

"Speak," said Eskara.

"Mistress, Harry Potter, along with those turtles and the American Wizarding Government has attacked your strong hold, we are just barely managing to hold them off," said her follower in a horrified tone.

"Allow him to come up here, if he is foolish enough," said Eskara.

"Harry won't let you get away from this!" yelled Hailey in a pained voice as she tried to fight off the transformation.

"I suggest you should not try to fight it child, you are nearly done with the second to final stage, soon you will be one of us forever, with no turning back," said Eskara and Hailey just glared at her defiantly, before she clutched her head in agony, the transformation taking over her mind.

Lily looked up, she heard the sounds of combat outside the room and she hoped it was to their favor. She watched the two guards rush over towards the door and the door flew open, before the two vampires were knocked over by a rush of Aurors, with Alexandra leading the way quickly she unshackled Lily and gave her wand back.

"Thanks," replied Lily, as a few more vampires made their way to the room, but two of them tripped, allowing Lily to blast a blinding jet of white light towards the third would be attacker, as the Aurors blasted the vampires from the room and they were promptly knocked unconscious by the assaults of Mikey and Raph.

The door burst open upstairs and Eskara looked calmly as she saw Harry stand in the doorway, ready for a battle.

"I was ready for you," said Eskara calmly as she pulled Hailey slightly in front of her to use as a shield. "I suggest you surrender."

"For all your supposed power, you are quite find of hiding behind people," responded Harry, as he reached into his robes.

"I hide from no one, human," spat Eskara viciously but Harry had quickly pulled out a staff, with the piece of crystal tied to the end and the blinding green light filled the room, causing Eskara to back off slightly and Hailey to drop to the ground, her transformation slowly regressing once again.

"Looks like you won't get a new minion, Eskara," taunted Harry.

"You fool, you're just only forestalling it, she's in the second to last stage already, and there's only one thing she can do to reverse it," said Eskara.

"Yes, well, I'm going to make you tell the way to my sister," remarked Harry calmly, as he waved the staff right in front of Eskara who recoiled. "Ready, Eskara, ready to say."

"Bite me, Potter!" shrieked Eskara as she managed to rip the staff from Harry's hand and throw it across the room.

"You heard her Hailey," said Harry and Hailey's foggy mind understood, as the transformation began to take hold again, she didn't have much time left.

"Take out your brother, prove your loyalty," said Eskara in a forceful tone, and Hailey stepped towards Harry, but in a second, she back flipped over Eskara, before grabbing her around the head. Eskara struggled but Hailey sank her almost completely developed fangs right into the neck.

Eskara screamed in agony for a minute, before she knocked Hailey backwards, she hit the floor with a thud.

"You've gotten on my last nerve, you filthy human!" screamed Eskara, as she grabbed one of the telescopes, preparing to freeze Harry in seconds.

In an instant, Harry pulled out Slytherin's Blade, hoping that it would work as it was rather fickle the first two times he used it. Eskara fired up the freezing mechanism, sending a jet of blue light to Harry, just as the sword began to glow red and sent a jet of red met the jet of blue light, causing them to force each other back and forth in air. Harry screwed his eyes shut with concentration and Eskara did the same right across the room.

"Give it up, human!" demanded Eskara as she began to push through, causing the blue light to briefly overwhelm the red light but Harry pushed back and knocked Eskara right back causing the woman to give up.

Rushing over before Eskara cold regain her bearings and while the sword was still flowing properly, Harry jammed the blade of the sword right into the top of the mystical box. It faded from blue before turning into a blinding orange and the energy flowed through the telescopes, reversing the process.

"NO!" yelled Eskara as she rushed over, but her legs began to buckle as sweat rolled down her face, the warmth weakened even her.

"Everything getting back to normal, only one thing left to do now," said Harry before he swiftly removed the sword and sliced the mystical box in half. The box hissed before it crumbled to dust, beyond repair.

Eskara staggered to her feet and sprung at Harry angrily, grabbing him by the throat and baring her fangs, attempting to turn Harry Potter into one of her own with her last burst of energy.

"You will be mine, Potter!" shrieked Eskara.

"Hey, Eskara, behind you!" shouted Hailey and Eskara relaxed her grip on Harry before she turned around to see Hailey wielding one of the magically modified telescopes. "Now which one of these stupid buttons…ah here we go."

"You foolish child, don't…" started Eskara but she was cut off with a blinded blast of yellow light from the remaining mystical energy contained in the telescope, bright as the sun. It caught Eskara right in the chest.

An inhumane shriek escaped Eskara before she stepped forward, crumpling into nothing to dust from absorbing way too much sunlight into her skin in such a short amount of time.

"That's what you get for trying to turn me into a mindless vampire minion!" cried Hailey, glaring at the ashes.

"Good job, Hailey," said Harry. "Thanks, but you know I could have gotten her off."

"I know, but I can't very well let you have all the fun can I?" asked Hailey.

"Yes, I suppose you can't, if you can call this fun," admitted Harry. "Exactly how did Eskara get to you anyway?"

"The last thing I remember…actually I can't really recall the last thing I remember, sorry Harry," said Hailey, and the truth was she couldn't.

"Yes, temporary amnesia, a common side effect from failed and reverse transformations," said Regulus as he walked into the room coolly.

"When did you show up or to be more blunt, how did you get in?" demanded Harry.

"I have my ways, Potter, but I preferred to stay out of the way, all that light and fire flying around," replied Regulus calmly. "I did trip up a few people when possible but mostly it was best if I stayed out of the way."

Regulus paused as both Potter siblings stared at him, before he pulled out a file folder.

"Here's a bit of reading for you Potter, a bit of information a couple of key Death Eaters and a rumored meeting point for some of the new recruits, do with it as you well," said Regulus before he departed.

"Let's go, all those vampires should be rounded up by now and we can get out of here and on with our lives," said Harry as Hailey nodded, before they walked off to join the others as the sun came out to shine over New York City once again.


	31. Chapter 31: Reality Check

**Chapter Thirty One: Reality Check**

"Man completely wicked, like totally awesome!" exclaimed Mikey, as he sat on the couch in the lair, Leo doing a training exercise nearby, Raph off in his room, Don on his computer, and Harry tinkering with a pair of two way mirrors off in a far corner in the distance. Mikey flipped through his comic book, as his cat Klunk leapt onto the edge of the couch. "Man this is the best, like totally awesome dude!"

Mikey looked over as Leo leapt in the air, swishing his katana in the air, putting out the flame on a candle with a well placed swing under the very watchful eye of Master Splinter.

"I love comics," replied Mikey happily as he turned to Leo, as he continued his training. "Do you know why I like comics Leo, because I know, you want to know?"

"Probably because of the super heroes," grunted Leo as he put out the final candle with his katana.

"Ding, ding, ding, give the blue bandana wielding katana wielding ninja turtle a prize, it's all about the heroes," said Mikey. "Super powers, super costumes, super…"

"Michelangelo, enough!" admonished Master Splinter sternly, as he narrowed his eyes towards his second youngest son. "Leonardo is training, perhaps you may like to join him as you seem to have so much free time on your hands lately."

"Uh, I think Don needs my help with something," stated Mikey quickly as he rose from the couch but before he could walk off, a loud crackling sound echoed through the lair, before the ground below them began to shake. "Oh, no not an earthquake, earthquakes always mean bad things, especially for us."

The ground continued to shake, before a swirling vortex of blue magical energy began to materialize as Harry moved over from his work and Mikey saw him look up.

"No, it can't be," muttered Harry darkly as Don also walked over.

"We've seen that kind of energy before," added Don as an ominous figure appeared from the vortex.

"Drako!" exclaimed Master Splinter.

"And the Daimyo's son," added Leo grimly. "This is what we told you about Master Splinter…"

"Yes, somehow merged together," continued Harry.

"All into one horrible package," concluded Raph as he walked into the lair as Ultimate Drako fully materialized right before their eyes.

"We told you we would return, we told you we would have our revenge!" declared Ultimate Drako in unison, as they brandished Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, glaring down at the Turtles, Master Splinter, and Harry with utter contempt.

"Revenge, this you whacko!" yelled Raph as he leapt up but a blast of magical energy from the time sceptre sent Raph spiraling backwards and cracking against the wall, before he landed towards the ground with a thud.

"If you could simply fight us, we can control time and space with Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, we are unbeatable!" taunted Ultimate Drako.

"GET THE SCEPTRE, NOW!" shouted Harry as he leapt in the air along with Raph, Don, Mikey, Leo, and Master Splinter at the same time but Ultimate Drako stopped them with a jet of magical energy from the time sceptre. They were suspended in mid air, frozen in stasis, unaware that time passed around them.

"Now for our revenge!" exclaimed Ultimate Drako in unison, as they looked at their helpless enemies.

"Leonardo, destroy him first!" demanded the Ultimate Ninja, remembering very well his defeat his first time on earth.

"No!" shouted Drako angrily. "We agreed, the rat will perish first, then your father, the Daimyo."

"And then Leonardo," added the Ultimate Ninja in a persistent voice.

Ultimate Drako waved the time sceptre, as it glowed a bright blue color.

"Yes, all of them will pay, all of them will learn the meaning of suffering behind time and space!" chanted Ultimate Drako as the light engulfed all six of their enemies, before they disappeared from the lair.

Mikey dropped down from the lair, landing with a thud and looked around.

"Uh, guys, scary Ultimate Drako dude, anyone?" inquired Mikey as he looked around, as he seemed to be in the lair only it was not the lair he remembered, it had a lot more high powered technology even more advanced than the Federation, Triceraton, or even Utrom technology. It looked like something out of a comic book and Mikey was awe struck as he looked around. "Wicked, cool, awesome, totally radical!"

Mikey then became serious, as much as he wanted to have a closer look around, all of his family had disappeared and he needed to find them.

"Leo, Raph, Don, Harry, Master Splinter, you there?" called Mikey as he looked around. "Anybody!"

In his haste to find his brothers, Mikey stepped right into an opened elevator that lit up, catching the mutant unaware.

"Please state your destination," commented a calm voice that caused Mikey to look around wildly before realizing it was a computer built into the wall.

"Yes, I'd like you to take me to my family, please," replied Mikey firmly and the elevator rose up.

A few seconds later, the door sprung open and Mikey cautiously walked out, to see an open field, where a group of five individuals faced off against a group of five large robots.

"Fools, you cannot stop the reign of the Terrorkinentics!" declared one of the robots in a forceful voice as his other robots prepared for battle.

"I don't think so, Super Turtles count it off," said the first figure, a large turtle wearing a bluish-purple cape, his face obscured by a facemask of the similar color. "Gravi-Turtle!"

"Shellectro!" chanted the second turtle, who was dressed in orange and wielding a whip, as he levitated slightly off the ground with electricity.

"Griddex!" grunted the third, large turtle, who had green skin about as hard as a rock and a blue costume that only exposed his arms and legs.

"Blobboid," stated the fourth turtle, as skin like a green slime that could contort and morph in every which direction.

There was a long pause as the fifth member of the team, dressed all in black, in fact, all you saw around his body was black, except for a pair of small slits which exposed a glowing pair of green eyes but it was easy to tell that he was most certainly not a turtle.

"You know how tacky I think this intro thing is," replied the figure moodily. "I might have caved in on the name of the team, despite there being at least two things wrong when it applies to me, but a tacky, over done introduction sequence when I show up is where I draw the line."

"Come on, Shadow Mage, it is supposed to inspire a sense of team unity!" prodded Gravi-Turtle and Shadow Mage just glared a hole through him, no humor evident in his eyes. "Just humor me okay."

"Fine, Shadow Mage!" dead panned Shadow Mage as he turned to join his fellow teammates as the Terrorkinetics began to attack, but each one of the Super Turtles took a robot.

Blobboid swerved around under a jet of laser fire from one of the Terrorkinetics before Shellectro wrapped his whip around it, causing a large burst of electricity to shock the Terrorkinetic into shutting completely down.

Griddex grew to a large size, as he faced off with a small disk shape Terrorkinetic with glowing eyes that shut lasers off of the larger Super Turtle, but to no avail. A large wing shaped terrorkinetic swooped down and picked its disk shaped companion and swooped up, dodging a wild swing before he placed the disk shaped Terrorkinetic on Griddex's back. Griddex reached around, but large spider leg shaped bindings wrapped around Griddex, sending shock waves towards the large Super Turtle and sent him straight to his knees, as a timer popped up, with full intents to blow Griddex to bits.

"Little help here," grunted Griddex as he attempted to reach behind to physically pull his foe off of his back but his arms were too bulky and he could not shrink because of the Terrorkinetic stunting his powers.

The other Super Turtles rushed around, as the winged Terrorkinetic shot bolts of lighting at them, causing them to back off. Shadow Mage looked up and vanished into mid air, before he reappeared seconds later behind the Terrorkinetic, with a lighting bolt shaped shuriken that he tossed right in the back of the Terrorkinetic. A loud explosion echoed from above as the winged terrorkinetic blew up.

Shadow Mage's actions allowed Gravi-Turtle to swoop in from the sky and rip the Terrorkinetic off of Griddex's back and allowed Griddex to smash it to bits before it could detonate.

"Your time is now up!" yelled Gravi-Turtle to the lead terrorkinetic.

"I don't think so Super Turtles, my pooch still wants to demonstrate a few tricks!" taunted the lead terrorkinetic as a large robotic dog with glowing red eyes. "Sick em!"

The dog gave loud booming barks before it shut large silver bones out of the top of his head. They all connected with the ground, blowing pieces of rock into the air, as the Super Turtles scattered to the side slightly, to avoid the deadly attacks from the robo-pooch Terrorkinetic.

Mikey stepped out from his post, having watched awe struck at the events that unfolded around him. The fun loving turtle could not help himself, he just had to step out and get a better look.

Unfortunately for Mikey, his footsteps had attracted the attention of the Terrorkinetic dog and it turned, growling at Mikey before it made its way to him and leapt up, before pinning Mikey with its paws and bared its metallic teeth at Mikey, causing the turtle to flinch in horror as the teeth came close to his head.

"Bad boy, heal, down robo-pooch," demanded Mikey in a forceful voice, his pleas attracting the attention of the Super Turtles.

"What the…" demanded Gravi-Turtle as he looked around, absolutely befuddled at the unexpected introduction before he turned to Shellectro. "Shellectro end the simulation right now, something's up."

"Right, end simulation!" confirmed Shellectro and the surroundings around them faded back into the lair, as Mikey pulled himself up.

"Wicked cool, but seriously what's with the costumes?" questioned Mikey

"Shellectro, is this part of your new hazard shell training program?" questioned Gravi-Turtle.

"No, this isn't like anything I've designed," responded Shellectro.

"Maybe it's a computer virus?" suggested Blobboid.

"Ugliest looking computer virus I've ever seen," chimed in Griddex as he looked over Mikey who took a step backwards but Shadow Mage stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Not so fast, he could be a spy sent by one of our many enemies," answered Shadow Mage in an untrusting voice.

"C'mon Harry, I can't be a spy," remarked Mikey.

"You're right, he looks too stupid," grunted Griddex.

"Looks can be deceiving, especially since he knows my secret identity," said Shadow Mage darkly. "Submit him for a mental scan, so we can determine the truth of how or why he got here."

"Right, that does seem to be the best option," agreed Gravi-Turtle as Griddex and Shadow Mage forcefully grabbed Mikey from behind.

"The scan will not hurt at all, it will just look deeply into your mind to gather your true intentions," informed Shellectro calmly as Mikey reluctantly laid back on the table and Shadow Mage pressed a button, causing large strap restraints to pop up, binding Mikey to the table, just allowing him enough movement for breath.

"Was that really necessary?" asked Gravi-Turtle.

"I risk nothing," replied Shadow Mage curtly as the scanner began to look deeply into Mikey's mind and Shellectro looked at the deeper readings of Mikey's mind. "Comic books, pizza, video games are on the forefront of this one's mind, nothing about malignant intentions towards us or anyone else for that matter. Just seems like a fairly average mutant turtle with no super powers whatsoever."

A loud beeping sound echoed throughout the Shell of Justice and Shellectro's eyes widened in surprise.

"What now?" demanded Griddex.

"Strange, I'm getting some mild readings of temporal energy that are fairly recent," remarked Shellectro. "It appears that are non-super powered visitor may not be from this dimension."

"Yes, that would have been from the Time Sceptre, Drako and the Daimyo's son blasted me here, he may have blasted my brothers and father as well, but I don't know," supplied Mikey in a frantic voice before his body began to glow white and he began to phase in and out of reality. Mikey screamed like a little girl as he became dizzy. "What's this, what's happening to me?"

"It appears that someone is trying to bring you back to your own dimension," replied Shellectro as he looked at Mikey who phased nearly out before popping back in a bit more clearer, but still blurry.

"Or, our dimension recognizes that you aren't from here and thus it wants to erase you," supplied Shadow Mage coolly and Mikey gave another scream in terror but seconds later, the phasing slowed to stop and Mikey seemed to be solid again.

"Well, the scan is complete and other than the temporal anomaly, our visitor has nothing out of the ordinary, in fact he's completely harmless," said Shellectro as he released Mikey from his bonds and allowed the terrapin to rise to his feet.

"Harmless, hey I'll have you know that I'm the greatest warrior in all of the multiverse, I'm the Battle Nexus Champion!" shouted Mikey cockily and the others looked at him strangely as if he grew two heads. "Right, I think I'll just shut up now."

"So, we need to know exactly how to arrived at this dimension so we can find a way to return you home," prompted Gravi-Turtle.

"I told you, Ultimate Drako zapped us all with the time sceptre and the next thing I remember, I woke up here!" exclaimed Mikey.

"Ultimate Drako, can't say I've ever heard of him," said Gravi-Turtle.

"Well, I'm really not too much in a hurry, as you guys are all so cool, your lair, your powers, your costumes," replied Mikey, who rocked back and forth in excitement, looking like a three year old on a sugar high. "So awesome, so cool, it's like I'm in comic book heaven!"

"Does this thing have an off switch," muttered Shadow Mage, as he looked at the non-super powered turtle in irritation, as he continued to sing the praises of the Super Turtles.

"Anyway, which one of you guys is my counterpart, anyway?" asked Mikey, who continued to look absolutely pleased and the other four turned their heads slightly, their eyes looked on Blobboid.

"Well, I'm pretty sure isn't me," stated Blobboid, doing a bad job of disguising his voice and Shellectro cleared his throat.

"Another thing, where is your version of Master Splinter?" questioned Mikey. "You know old rat, with a walking stick, gives wisdom, taught you everything you know."

"We had one," replied Griddex gruffly.

"But he's gone, we lost him, a long time ago," added Shadow Mage, his voice breaking and showing a slight bit of emotion, that caused him to turn away.

"Sorry," muttered Mikey apologetically as he turned away.

"Right, back to this Ultimate Drako guy, perhaps he has a counterpart in this universe," stated Shellectro in a calm, logical tone of voice. "Perhaps if you could describe a little bit about him?"

"Uh, he's a big mean guy, who is evil and extremely powerful," responded Mikey unhelpfully and the Super Turtles sighed in absolute irritation.

"Fine, we'll show you a series of pictures on the Shell-i-tron five thousand and you tell us if any of them look familiar," responded Gravi-Turtle as Shellectro fired up, with a large blue skinned super villain that looked about the size of a small house. "Could it be the Transmogrifier?"

"No, that's not him, but still a wicked looking super villain, dude," replied Mikey. "That guy's a bit too big to be Ultimate Drako though, he's a bit smaller, but not too much smaller."

"What about Doctor Octamort," suggested Gravi-Turtle as a sinister looking tall, thin man with a snake face and many snake like limbs extended outwards materialized on the view

"No not him, he's…" started Mikey but a loud beeping sound echoed throughout the Shell of Justice.

"We have to get back to this later, duty calls," said Gravi-Turtle as he flew over to a large red beeping shell shaped phone and picked it up. "Yes, Commissioner, what no, he can't be back in town, we thought…yes I understand, no way for the authorities to get in, it looks like we're going to have to get in his fortress and rest assure, the Super Turtles will stop him."

Gravi-Turtle put down phone before he turned gravely to his other teammates.

"What we have always feared has come to pass, the Sliver has returned and he has required a doomsday device that will put the entire city and perhaps the world in peril," informed Gravi-Turtle. "The authorities could not break in."

"So, it's up to us," summarized Shellectro.

"We hoped we'd never have to face him ever again," concluded Shadow Mage darkly. "After what happened…"

"I know," replied Shellectro. "Our most deadly enemy..."

"Wow, most deadly enemy that sounds wicked, can I come?" asked Mikey but in an instant, he began to phase in and out of reality. "Wait, I guess I'm in flux, this is it, I guess I'm going home, bye everyone, see you later, it's been a pleasure, I'm going, any second not, I'll be gone."

The phasing stopped and Mikey stood there, sheepishly as the Super Turtles looked at him, in irritation.

"Guess I'm staying," amended Mikey sheepishly. "So, anyway, can I come?"

"Yes, we better take him along," said Shadow Mage, before adding to the others in undertone. "He might touch something that is important."

The Super Turtles nodded, before they, along with Mikey, left to combat the evil and dangerous threat that was the Sliver.

The Super Turtles, along with Mikey arrived outside the Sliver's Fortress of Doom. It resembled the Foot Headquarters slightly.

"So, no problem right, we need to get inside, right," suggested Mikey but a large laser grid came up, before firing a multitude of laser fire at the intruders, which allowed them to scatter.

"Disable the laser fire!" ordered Gravi-Turtle.

"On it," grunted Griddex who walked over and raised his arms up before he crudely smashed the grid causing it to crumble to dust and a large canon appeared out the wall.

"Scatter!" ordered Gravi-Turtle as they moved around and a large jet of acid shot from the cannon. The ground melted, steam coming up from where the street was.

Blobboid attempted to dodge the attacks, but the canon turned slightly towards him and the acid blasted right towards at him. The Super Turtle dodged the attack.

"We're getting no closer, someone needs to work themselves inside the machinery and shut that thing down from the inside," suggested Blobboid.

"On it," said Shadow Mage as he vanished into mid air. A few seconds later, Shadow Mage's voice could be heard as a small part of the wall leading to the canon popped up. "Shellectro aim your whip into the hole…now!"

Shellectro did as he was instructed, the whip connecting the hole and a large burst of electricity frying through the cannon, causing it to shut down as Shadow Mage reappeared

"The defenses should be neutralized, let's get inside," confirmed Shadow Mage and the Super Turtles made their way inside, with Mikey gaining a little help from Gravi-Turtle.

Seconds later, they burst through the windows of the Sliver's throne room, ready for the fight of their lives, looking up at a figure on the top of a tall winding set of stairs, obscured in the shadows.

"Welcome my sons," declared the Sliver in a sinister voice as he stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself to be that universe's version of Master Splinter, with glowing red eyes, sharp claws, and fangs, while he was dressed completely in black, with a high tech walking stick.

"Master Splinter…what…who…why…how come..what the…" stammered Mikey before he regained his bearings to turn to the Super Turtles. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID HE WAS DEAD!"

"No, we said we lost him, to evil," responded Shellectro gravely.

"Sliver, no matter what you have to dish out, we will stop you!" stated Gravi-Turtle in a stern voice.

The Sliver pressed a switch on his walking stick and a large platform rose from the ceiling, revealing a large orb shaped object with a glowing radioactive orb in the center and a countdown clock with three minutes and counting.

"Not even you, with your powers could stop the Penultimate Nullificator!" taunted the Sliver, as he leaned on his walking stick.

"Man, that is a cool name!" supplied Mikey as the Super Turtles looked at him like he was in same. "Sorry, comic book geek."

"Sliver, even you cannot be insane enough to unleash the power in the Penultimate Nullificator, it would wipe us all out!" shouted Blobboid as the Super Turtles made a move to go after the Nullificator, but the Sliver pressed another switch on his walking stick.

In a second, a large, glowing green cage dropped from the ceiling onto the Super Turtles and Mikey.

"No, the cage is made of Utromidium!" shouted Shellectro in a horrified voice.

"Made of what?" questioned Mikey.

"The one substance stronger than our powers," clarified Shellectro.

"It's a barrier that even we can't pass," concluded Griddex.

"Sliver, you're insane, the Penultimate Nullificator will be the end of everything it goes off," said Shadow Mage.

"Not the end of everything, Shadow Mage, it has been modified so it will only effect life outside this tower, you will all be safe," corrected the Sliver as he sat himself back on his throne. "Humanity has judged us as nothing but servants to solve their problems and the only way to solve all of their problems is to wipe out all life on earth and start over."

"You have no right to judge…" stated Gravi-Turtle but the Sliver cut him off.

"The world will be cleansed and in time you will come to accept my vision of what is just," said the Sliver coldly. "You will join me, I am your father."

In the Utromidium jail cell, the Super Turtles and Mikey sat, fully aware that each passing second the Penultimate Nullificator was closer to going off and carrying out the Sliver's plans.

"Can't any of you find a way out?" asked Mikey desperately.

"With each passing second, the Utromidium drains our powers, making us weaker," informed Blobboid.

"It even messes up the cloaking and phasing mechanisms in my Shadow Mage suit," added Shadow Mage in a moody voice. "Of course the Sliver would know about that, as he helped me design it, just as he knows about all of their powers."

"Utromidium, stupid comic book weakness," grumbled Mikey, as he looked up but an idea popped into his head. "Maybe we can't break out, but perhaps we can convince the Sliver to break us out of this Utromidium jail cell."

The Sliver sat calmly on his throne, as he watched the Penultimate Nullificator tick down with two minutes left to doomsday for the Earth.

"Uh, Master Splinter er I mean Sliver, can I have a word with you, in private?" questioned Mikey as he looked up from the Utromidium jail cell. "I'm not with these other guys you see."

The Sliver pressed a switch on his cane and Mikey rose up out of the jail cell, trapped in a miniature Utromidium bubble.

"Look, I'm not from around here, I was sent here to help you, I'm from an alternate dimension," said Mikey. "Where I come from, my bros and I, well we rule the world."

"Another dimension?" inquired the Sliver, his curiosity piqued. "Tell me more."

"Humanity bad, destruction good, wipe them all out I say, cleanse that world," continued Mikey. "That's what you, my bros, and I did."

"And you were sent here to assist me?" prompted the Sliver.

"Yes, I live to serve Master Splinter er Sliver, my father," continued Mikey and the Sliver pressed a button on his walking stick, releasing the turtle from the Utromidium bubble.

"How I have longed for my sons at my side, for them to see the error in their judgment, for us to be a family again," said The Sliver before he turned to Mikey. "So you would join me in my new world."

"Sliver, no turtle would ever join you," said Mikey and he revealed that he was in fact Blobboid before he stretched his arms out, wrapping it around the walking stick and pulled it from the Sliver's grasp. A push of the button caused the Utromidium jail cell to rise up to the ceiling, off the Super Turtles and the real Mikey, allowing them to regain their bearings.

"I don't believe it, your plan actually worked ninja boy," said Griddex in an astonished voice.

"I know, can you believe it?" inquired Mikey, with a small smirk.

"Quick, get the Nullificator!" ordered Gravi-Turtle as they made a beeline for the doomsday device with ninety seconds left to go.

"I think not!" shouted the Sliver angrily as he morphed into a large hulking beast, separate sections of his body representing the different powers of the Super Turtles and large shockwave went through the floor, causing everyone to fly backwards.

"You could have told me the Sliver has super powers too!" yelled Mikey angrily but the Super Turtles moved forward, Blobboid morphing into a large pointed missile but the Sliver stretched and a large hole materialized in his stomach, causing Blobboid to pass through and splatter onto the ground.

"This ends now Sliver!" yelled Griddex angrily as he swung at the Sliver but the Sliver grabbed his arm and wrenched it back.

"You've always had a problem with your temper, allow me to help you with that," taunted the Sliver as he smashed Griddex across the back. "You've always been slow learners."

Shellectro's whip wrapped around the Sliver's left arm and he gave a mighty pull.

"Maybe your teaching methods left something to be desired!" shouted Shellectro as Gravi-Turtle flew around but the Sliver sent a burst of electricity towards Shellectro, causing the Super Turtle to drop to the ground, in a severely weakened state.

"Remember children, I taught you everything about you know about your powers but you do not know everything I know!" taunted the Sliver as he shot up into the air and engaged into a short battle in the air with Gravi-Turtle, flying circles around him and causing Gravi-Turtle to crash hard to the ground.

The Sliver dropped to the ground before flicking his wrist and Shadow Mage's suit turned white, and causing him to be completely visible. With forty five seconds to go until the Penultimate Nullificator detonated, the Sliver knocked Shadow Mage out with one blow before he turned to Mikey, who stood, his eyes widened in horror.

"And what are you going to do ninja?" taunted the Sliver. "No powers, no specially designed suit, no hope for the world if you are the last one standing."

"Maybe I'm not all powerful like you but I'm more than enough ninja to take you down!" cried Mikey as he pulled out his nunchucks before he stared down the Sliver who shot several bolts of electricity towards Mikey but the ninja ducked and dodged out of the bolts before he slid towards the Sliver. The Sliver aimed his rock hard and blob arms at Mikey but he dodged them before he perfectly managed to aim a kick towards the Sliver.

"You dare touch me!" shouted the Sliver angrily.

"Get used to it, Master," replied Mikey, putting an extra sarcastic emphasis on the last word and the Sliver reached for his walking stick but he came to the realization that it was in the possession of Mikey.

"No!" shouted the Sliver in an agonized voice as Mikey pressed a button and dropped the Utromidium jail cell right on the Sliver, trapping him inside.

The Super Turtles rose to their feet, with twenty five seconds left to go.

"No matter what you still lose, the Penultimate Nullificator shall still cleanse the world!" declared the Sliver and at that second, Mikey began to phase out.

"Oh no, not now," said Mikey before he turned to the Sliver. "Quick, how do you stop the Nullificator."

"Why would I design a way to stop it?" demanded the Sliver. "It is justice, it is rule."

"I'll stop it, I can fly up quickly where it won't hurt anyone," replied Gravi-Turtle as the Nullificator ticked down with eighteen seconds left to go.

"No, it will take you with you, there has to be another way," said Griddex.

"If the Sliver said that he modified it to work outside the tower, maybe it can be fixed to work inside the tower," suggested Mikey and Shellectro quickly made his way over and placed his hands on it, with ten seconds left to go.

"There it's reprogrammed electronically to work in that matter, but we need to get out of here," said Shellectro as the time ticked to eight seconds, seven seconds but Mikey had almost faded completely out.

"I'm already almost there, if they right a comic about this, make sure they call me the Turtle Titan!" yelled Mikey as his voice faded out as he disappeared with the Super Turtles evacuating the building with two seconds to spare.

"NO!" shouted the Sliver in a horrified voice as he watched the Penultimate Nullificator reach zero and explodes, completely destroying the tower along with the Sliver.

Later that day, the Super Turtles stood around a large jade statue, depicting Michelangelo.

"He may have not been exactly like us, but Michelangelo, aka the Turtle Titan was one of us in a way, for his heroism, his bravely, he was truly our brother in arms," announced Gravi-Turtle and the other Super Turtles nodded as they looked at the statue.

"Yeah, he turned out to be halfway decent," added Shadow Mage grudgingly as the Super Turtles walked away, returning to the Shell of Justice.


	32. Chapter 32: Heroes In a Half Shell

**Chapter Thirty Two: Heroes In a Half Shell**

In his room in the lair, Raph looked over his finished, completely rebuilt Shell Cycle. It took several months of hard work to get it back to the way that was when Hun had stole it and later trashed it but Raph nodded, finally feeling pleased about the final product. It was not easy, but Raph felt that fixing his bike back to the way it was before it had been trashed.

Unfortunately now that Raph was satisfied, he now sank back into the usually boredom of being stir crazy. A good fight was hard to come by these days, especially since they were branded fugitives by the news. The heat was dying down slightly, but Master Splinter had insisted that they take no chances until they were sure what the Shredder's next move was. That confined Raph and the other three Turtles for that matter to the lair. Other than the battle with the Garbageman and their recent fight against Eskara and her vampire minions, action had been a little scarce. Raph hated being cooped in, he wanted to get out, stretch his legs, and bust some heads, not necessarily in that order.

Seconds later, the ground in Raph's room began to rumble and he looked around in shock, before a bright glow illuminated from just outside of his room.

"We've seen that kind of energy before," echoed Don's voice from the other room and Raph made his way towards the door.

"Drako!" shouted Master Splinter from inside the main lair as Raph moved closer to the door, taking his Sais out, ready for a fight.

"And the Daimyo's son," added Leo. "This is what we've told you about Master Splinter."

"Yes, somehow merged together," Harry was saying as Raph made his way out of the room to see the magilinant figure of Ultimate Drako hovering above them, holding the time sceptre in his hand.

"All into one horrible package," concluded Raph as he watched Ultimate Drako materialize before his eyes.

"We told you we would return, we told you we would have our revenge!" declared Ultimate Drako in unison, as they brandished Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, glaring down at the Turtles, Master Splinter, and Harry with utter contempt.

"Revenge, this you whacko!" yelled Raph as he leapt up but a blast of magical energy from the time sceptre sent Raph spiraling backwards and cracking against the wall, before he landed towards the ground with a thud.

"If you could simply fight us, we can control time and space with Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, we are unbeatable!" taunted Ultimate Drako.

"GET THE SCEPTRE, NOW!" shouted Harry as he leapt in the air along with Raph, Don, Mikey, Leo, and Master Splinter at the same time but Ultimate Drako stopped them with a jet of magical energy from the time sceptre. They were suspended in mid air, frozen in stasis, unaware that time passed around them.

"Now for our revenge!" exclaimed Ultimate Drako in unison, as they looked at their helpless enemies.

"Leonardo, destroy him first!" demanded the Ultimate Ninja, remembering very well his defeat his first time on earth.

"No!" shouted Drako angrily. "We agreed, the rat will perish first, then your father, the Daimyo."

"And then Leonardo," added the Ultimate Ninja in a persistent voice.

Ultimate Drako waved the time sceptre, as it glowed a bright blue color.

"Yes, all of them will pay, all of them will learn the meaning of suffering behind time and space!" chanted Ultimate Drako as the light engulfed all six of their enemies, before they disappeared from the lair.

Raph's eyes flickered open and he sprang up, seconds later, ready to fight at a second's notice. He looked around, careful not to make a sound to attract any unwanted attention before taking in his surroundings. As far as Raph could tell, he was in just an odd, run of the mill sewer tunnel but he did not recognize exactly where. So, Raph did the only thing that made sense, he decided to walk through the tunnel and looked around for the nearest manhole.

After a couple of minutes of walking, Raph had found what he was looking for. After he climbed up, Raph slid the lid off the manhole just enough to poke his eyes out and look from left to right, the streets above. A few vehicles moved down the street but seconds later, the coast was clear. In a flash, Raph slid the manhole out of the cover, sprang up, slid it back on, and leapt into the nearest alleyway in the blink of an eye. He watched as a semi-truck passed nearby. The streets were not as busy as they could have been and Raph stepped back slightly to gain some semblance of where he was. It was New York but it was not the New York City he remembered. It looked a bit more bright, vibrant, shiny, almost cartoonish in a way.

A loud scream brought Raph out of his thoughts and he narrowed his eyes, seeing a hood stagger an old man.

"All right pops, hand me over all your money and you won't get hurt," demanded the hood as he brandished a pocket knife.

"Help, help, police!" yelled the old man and Raph pulled out his Sais, he wasn't going to stand by and let that punk get away with this.

"Let him guy or else," said Raph.

"Oh, and I suppose some giant guy in a frog suit is going to stop me," said the hood in a cocky voice as he brandished his knife, but Raph leapt at him, kicking the thief hard right in the chest, knocking him back.

The hoodlum attempted to make a break for it but Raph aimed his Sai carefully and tossed it right at the heel of his retreating attacker, before he could make a clean get away. Raph rushed over and picked up the hoodlum by the shirt, his pocket knife dropping to the ground.

"Hey, let me go you crazy lizard man, I have rights," begged the hoodlum but Raph just held him up before placing him down slightly.

"Yeah like the right to remain silent," responded Raph as he sank his fist into the chest of the hoodlum and another one aimed towards his face, before Raph threw him down to the ground. "And another thing I'd wish you hoodlums get it right, I'm a turtle, not a lizard, a frog, or a gecko, you'd think the large shell on my back would give you the hint!"

Raph leapt up and stomped down hard on the back of the head of the hoodlum. The face smashed hard into the pavement and Raph looked over, before he grabbed an electrical cord from the alleyway and picked up the hood. With the hood leaned against the light post, Raph wrapped the cord around the hoodlum, which prevented him from escaping until the police would have arrived.

"Help!" yelled the old man as a squad car made its way down the street. "Giant gecko man, help, police!"

Raph had already disappeared into the alleyway as the squad car had pulled up and the cops had exited it. He needed to get to the warehouse, as it would lead him home, because something about the city seemed rather off and Raph hoped to find out what it was before too long. As much as it seemed like a foreign concept, it would be a good idea for him to keep a cool head and maybe he could find where Harry, Don, Mikey, Leo, and Splinter all went off to.

Elsewhere in a place called Dimension X, several hundred thousand miles away from this alternate universe's Earth, a large war machine the size of a major sports stadium rested on an asteroid, its wheels submerged slightly in the rock, unable to move. This war machine was dubbed the Technodrome, the fortress to two of the most notorious criminals in both this alternate universe's Earth and Dimension X.

The first criminal was once one of the most feared warlords in Dimension X. He ruled over the citizens of Dimension X with an iron fist, with the help of his army of stone warriors. However, he was put on trial for his war crimes and stripped of his body, before he was exiled to earth, reduced to nothing but an evil brain. He was called Krang.

After several years on earth, Krang met up with this universe's version of Oroku Saki who was a young brash human ninja who had lead Japan's premier criminal organization, the Foot. Using Krang's knowledge of Dimension X technology and Saki's skill and control of the Foot, they forged a powerful partnership. Over time, Saki replaced his human ninja with mindless robots and took on a new identity, dubbing himself the Shredder. While he was not as skilled or dangerous as the Shredder known throughout the normal Earth, he was still a formidable threat to that universe's version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and both sides had many battles on a weekly basis, normally with Shredder and Krang attempting to steal some sort of energy source for their Technodrome so they could rule the Earth once again.

Krang pressed in a few keys on his high tech Dimension X computer in the Technodrome. Since he had lost his original body, the best the evil alien brain could hope for was a large android body that resembled a large bald man wearing nothing but red underwear, with Krang resting in the stomach cavity. The look of the body really didn't bother the former warlord turned evil alien brain, the power and strength of the body really suited someone like him.

A large blip appeared on the screen and Krang used his android body's right hand to zero in on the frequency, getting a better look at it. Krang's eyes widened, as a large glowing green light appeared on the screen.

"Shredder come over here!" demanded Krang and from across the main control center, the Shredder walked over, his bright purple cape whipped behind him.

"What is it now Krang?" asked the Shredder in a bored tone as he looked at the computer screen.

"My scanners have detected a high powered source of energy in the city, strong enough to re-power the Technodrome and bring it back to Earth," explained Krang. "It appears to be on the move."

"So then we must act quickly to gain the energy," replied the Shredder with a calm nod of his head.

"Yes and for once those meddlesome mutants will not be a thorn in our sides, they are currently on vacation in Europe and thus out of the city," said Krang. "By the time they figure out what has happened, the Technodrome will have already have been back to Earth and rolling over all who oppose us."

"Yes, I do admit, attacking the city when the Turtles are out of town is so sneaky, so underhanded, so utterly cheap," said Shredder. "That's what makes it so great."

"Yes, I'd figure it would appeal to someone as simple as you, Shredder," responded Krang as he handed Shredder a portable tracking device. "This device will lead you right towards the energy source. Take those two dunderheaded mutants and as many foot soldiers as you feel necessary to take to complete the task."

"Right, Bebop, Rocksteady, get in here!" yelled the Shredder and two figures entered the room. They were mutants, formally street thugs that were crossbred with a warthog and a rhino, to form Shredder's dull brained mutant minions Bebop and Rocksteady.

"Uh, you rang boss?" inquired Bebop, the warthog looking at his employer dumbly.

"Yes, I did, you are to join me on a trip to earth," said Shredder.

"Oh goody, I hope we run into dem stinkin' toitles so we can lay a pounding on them," said Rocksteady as Bebop nodded stupidly by his partner's side.

"We're going to the city so the Turtles will not be a problem as they are joining a leisurely holiday in Europe which will be cut short once the Technodrome comes back to earth," said Shredder before he gave his clichéd super villain laugh and Bebop and Rocksteady looked a bit put out that they wouldn't get a chance to tangle with the Turtles, because they wanted revenge from their last humiliating beating.

"The Dimensional Portal is open and don't come back with that energy source, Shredder," said Krang pointing to a large view screen with a swirling vortex of blue light leading to Earth.

"Don't worry Krang, I won't fail," responded Shredder as he entered the portal, with Bebop, Rocksteady, and an army of foot soldiers following him.

"Yes, well I've heard that only every single week since we've met," commented Krang dryly as he watched Shredder and his cronies leave through the Dimensional Portal.

Raph walked over to where the warehouse should have been.

"Damn where is it?" demanded Raph, his eyes bulging in anger as he looked at where the warehouse should have been but in its place was a bright looking flower shop. Raph did the only thing that made sense to him and that was kick the wall.

In an instant, Raph leapt back in surprise, his body had began to fade in and out, almost is if it was out of sync with reality. He was absolutely confused and Raph waved his arms as he felt something pull him away for a few seconds before he was pushed back into the real world and became solid once again.

Before Raph could figure out what could happen, a large vortex of blue light appeared, forming a doorway and in that instant, Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady, and the foot soldiers exited the portal, with Shredder holding the tracking device.

"According to Krang's tracker the energy source should be…right in front of us," said Shredder before his eyes rose up to see Raph who stood there, his Sais out and ready for a fight. "What, one of the Turtles…impossible…those wretched reptiles are supposed to be halfway across the globe…"

"Uh boss, I don't think that is one of the toitles we know," supplied Bebop.

"Yeah, he looks different, a bit bigger," added Rocksteady before he turned to Bebop. "Ah well, more to stomp."

"Yeah, let's get him," said Bebop.

"No not yet you cretins, the tracker says the turtle has to have the energy source," ordered Shredder before he turned to Raph. "Okay, mutant, I suggest you hand over whatever you hand or we'll be forced to use brute force."

Raph looked at his foes, wondering the man before him was serious.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but if it's a fight you want, I don't have time, I need to find the others," said Raph but at the same time, he brandished his Sais in front of him. "So leave before I make you leave."

"Who are you to tell me what to do, mutant?" demanded Shredder before he turned to his robots. "Foot Soldiers, attack, subdue that turtle and take whatever device he his harboring."

The robots made their way towards Raph but Raph dodged the clunky attack from the first one. It slowly turned around and got a Sai right to the chest, causing it to break into pieces. Raph somersaulted over another couple of robots and aimed a split kick at the robots. The foot soldiers flew backwards and cracked against the wall, crumbling into dust. Another two grabbed Raph but Raph expertly flipped over them before he rammed a Sai into each of their heads before he rammed them together. The two robots crumbled into dust and Shredder's eyes widened slightly, the only part visible underneath his metal facemask and helmet.

"Bebop, Rocksteady, grab that turtle!" shouted Shredder.

"With pleasure, boss," said Rocksteady happily as the two mutants charged Raph and Raph raised his eyebrow, those two goons were more hotheaded then he was.

Casually, Raph side stepped the attacks and the two mutants crashed headfirst into the brick walls behind them, disorienting both Bebop and Rocksteady.

"Up, you idiots, get him!" yelled Shredder angrily. Seconds later, Bebop and Rocksteady removed their stun lasers and pointed them at Raph. "No, you fools, with your hands, you'll damage the energy source."

"Right boss," grunted Rocksteady but Raph tossed his Sais, knocking the weapons at the hands of Bebop and Rocksteady, before he leapt up over them and wiped out Bebop with a leaping kick. Rocksteady swung his fist at Raph but Raph dodged before he grabbed Rocksteady and threw the mutant rhino into his partner. The two goons clashed together and Raph wiped them out with a kick which caused them to topple to the ground, moaning in agony.

"Morons, if you can't do something right, do it yourself," said Shredder and he leapt forward, before he knocked Raph backwards with a palm blow right to the face. Raph ducked a swing from Shredder, and kicked the villain right in the chest before he picked his Sais up and used them to block the Shredder's gauntlets. Shredder managed to shove Raph backwards but Raph dodged an attack before he leapt over Shredder and grabbed his flowing purple cape.

Shredder spun and knocked Raph backwards with a back handed slap. Another punch rocked Raph and Shredder stepped back for a second.

"Give me whatever you have you wretched reptile or I'll finish you off!" demanded Shredder but Raph sprang up and aimed his Sais right at his opponent's chest which Shredder expertly blocked with his gauntlets before he forced Raph back but the hot tempered terrapin remained on the attack. "Surrender reptile, no one can match the Shredder grip of steel."

Raph forced Shredder's attack back, before he managed to use Shredder's cape to fling him right to the ground.

"Okay, I know the Shredder and you're not him, especially in that ridiculous cape!" responded Raph as Shredder sprang up angrily and attempted to gut Raph with his gauntlet, but Raph blocked it. "Did your mother make that cape?"

"As a matter of fact she did but you will not distract me, the power will be mine," countered Shredder as he forced Raph backwards but Raph dodged Shredder's attack "Stay still mutant, all will bend to the Shredder's powerful might."

Shredder and Raph continued their brawl, with each pushing the other backwards for a few seconds and Shredder planted his feet right into the chest of Raph and caused the turtle to fly backwards. Calmly, Shredder walked over and picked up Raph but Raph grabbed his cape and pulled it over Shredder's face. With his opponent's vision obscured, Raph kicked Shredder right in the face and knocked the nasty ninja backwards to the ground.

Shredder got up and turned to Bebop and Rocksteady.

"Retreat, we need to think of another plan!" demanded Shredder as he looked at Raph who stood in a fighting stance, glaring nastily at the three criminals.

"Don't have to tell me twice boss, let's get out of here!" yelled Rocksteady as he followed his boss down a sidewalk area.

"Momma!" screamed Bebop as the three made their way down the street with Raph following closely behind, as he needed to find out if these three were connected with Ultimate Drako or not. If they were, Raph would make them tell him where his family had been sent.

Raph looked, he saw the door of an abandoned warehouse was half a jar and he could have sworn he heard footsteps moving away from the warehouse doors. Quietly, Raph slipped inside, weapons at the ready and looked around, his back to the wall and stuck to the shadows, careful not to make any noise.

Raph looked above on the catwalk, he saw three shadows slightly above. Spotting a stairway, Raph leapt over, careful not to step into the light before he made his way up the stairs and climbed onto the catwalk.

In a second, bright lights shined into Raph's eyes. Instinctively, he placed his arm up and he heard footsteps.

"So, we meet again, reptile," said Shredder as he hoisted a wooden crate over his head and the tracking device in the other hand. "The tracker does not lie, you have whatever has this high amount of power, so give it to me or I will crush you."

"I don't think so!" shouted Raph as he kicked the crate right into Shredder's face. The crate shattered and Shredder fell to the ground, as jagged pieces of wood flew in every which direction.

"Hey, you can't touch the boss," reprimanded Bebop.

"Let's teach this stinkin' toitle a lesson, Bebop," continued Rocksteady and both of the mutants aimed their stun lasers before they blasted a heavy jet of laser fire at Raph who stepped side from side dodging the attacks, but with each shot, the wood he was standing on had weakened.

"Stop firing you cretins!" yelled Shredder angrily but it was too late as the wood had given way, snapping and Raph began to plummet to the hard ground nearly fifty feet below.

Raph braced himself for the worst but at that instant, he began to phase out as Shredder's tracking device began to hum wildly, lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"Wait, that new turtle was the power source and you idiots caused him to plummet to his doom!" yelled Shredder as Bebop and Rocksteady cowered in fear at their boss's anger. Shredder stepped forward but the beeping sound of his communicator caused him to stop yelling. With a flash of movement, Shredder pressed the button activating his communicator. "Yes, Krang, what do you want?"

"I'm wondering what the delay with getting your hands on what you came for, Shredder," responded Krang.

"Listen here Krang, I've been going out of my skull attempting to get my hands on your little power source, something I'm certain you haven't felt the sensation of for a long time, eh, Krang," said Shredder.

"Oh very funny Shredder," replied Krang sarcastically

"I thought it was hilarious," retorted Shredder smugly.

"Never mind that Shredder, get on that power source, I'd like to conquer the earth before my stories are on," said Krang.

"Uh boss, maybe you should tell him that we kind of broke the power source by blasting it off the catwalk," muttered Rocksteady in an undertone.

"Shut up, you moronic mutant," hissed Shredder.

"You did what, I knew I couldn't trust you with anything Shredder!" shouted Krang.

"Well maybe if you wasn't sitting their in the Technodrome on your cozy little asteroid and did it yourself, maybe this wouldn't have happened!" argued Shredder his eyes glaring with anger.

Raph pulled himself up from below, during most of his trip downwards he was phasing and thus not technically submerged in reality, so he was only shaken up slightly. He looked up, he still had to get some answers and he pulled himself up the stairs again.

Raph reached the top in moments, ready to confront his three adversaries.

"You ain't going to put me down that easy," said Raph as he stood in a battle stance as Bebop and Rocksteady backed off in absolute surprise but Shredder stood before them, unblinking. "Now, what did you do with them?"

"What are you babbling on about mutant?" demanded Shredder.

"You know, you're working with that Ultimate Drako clown, now where are my brothers and my father," responded Raph.

"Why should I tell you anything?" challenged Shredder and Raph gritted his teeth, before he leapt over the gaping hole and knocked Shredder back with a vicious punch. Shredder wobbled and Raph connected with another uppercut, before he grabbed Shredder. Shredder pushed Raph back and swung his gauntlet but Raph blocked it with his weapon and forced him backwards. Another clang and Shredder lost his balance, with Raph grabbing Shredder by the throat and he hung him over the catwalk to the floor.

"That's why, now talk before my grip slips!" yelled Raph, his eyes bulging with anger underneath his face mask as he forcefully pulled Shredder up slightly from the cape.

"Fine, I don't know anything, I don't even know where you came from, it's just my tracker lead me to you," said Shredder before he turned his head slightly. "Bebop, Rocksteady, don't just stand there, get that turtle. What am I paying you for, anyway?"

"Uh, boss, you really ain't payin' us at all," responded Bebop with a snort.

"JUST GET THAT WRETCHED REPTILE!" yelled Shredder.

"Right boss," replied the mutants in unison as they rushed over to enrage Raph into battle. Raph dropped Shredder and Shredder just managed to grab onto the ledge, to prevent himself from plummeting to his utter doom.

"Okay, toitle, this is it, we're going to punch your lights out!" cried Rocksteady as he aimed a fist at Raph but Raph blocked it before he threw Rocksteady's arm backwards and caused him to stagger backwards before Raph sprang up and kicked Rocksteady hard in the gut.

Bebop picked up a pipe and swung it at Raph but Raph blocked it with his Sais, before he viciously stabbed at the pipe, causing it to break. Bebop raised his arms and attempted to smash Raph's head in but Raph ducked and dodged to the side. Turning around, the mutant warthog ate both feet to the face and staggered to the ground, with a thud.

Rocksteady put his head down and charged at Raph but Raph leapt over Rocksteady's head before he was gored by the rhino's horn. The mutated dimwitted rhino spun around, with a confused look on his face and looked around wildly to see where Raph had went.

Seconds later, Raph's feet smashed right into the top of Rocksteady's head, toppling the rhino down to the ground. Raph turned around and stood face to face with Shredder, who had charged Raph and grabbed the reptile by the throat, in an attempt to strangle Raph.

"The Shredder falls to no turtle!" declared Shredder in a wicked voice as his fingers squeezed around Raph's throat but Raph managed to lift his Sai up before he stabbed Shredder right in the arm with it. Shredder dropped to his knees and recoiled in pain, before Raph aimed his foot and splattered Shredder right across the face with a soccer kick.

Shredder would not be denied and he grabbed Raph, and attempted to throw him down the stairway from the catwalk to the warehouse below. Raph avoided the plunge by ramming his elbows right in Shredder's face. Shredder staggered and Raph leapt up before he aimed a leaping kick right to Shredder's chest. Shredder staggered backwards before he fell and slid down the stairway all the way to his doom. Raph leapt up and both of his feet cracked right across the downed Shredder's chest, before he pulled up his opponent and viciously threw him halfway across the room.

"You're finished," said Raph but Shredder pulled a silver ball from his pocket and threw it on the floor, causing a smoke screen to fill across the room.

Raph staggered backwards, coughing in agony as Shredder aimed a punch to Raph. Another punch knocked Raph down and Shredder aimed his gauntlet at Raph's throat but his tracking device caused him to pause. The signal became fainter by the second until it was just a barely visiable light. Quickly, Shredder took his communicator back out and spoke into it.

"Krang, this source of power is growing fainter by the second," informed Shredder.

"Shredder, you idiot, thanks to your bungling, you did something to damage it, the same thing is happening on my scanners!" yelled Krang. "One of these days Shredder…"

"Never mind Krang, I can still eliminate this meddlesome fool of a mutant," said Shredder as he raised his gauntlet but Raph blocked the attack and pushed Shredder back. Leaping up, Raph grabbed Shredder and flipped him right onto the ground. Another leapt, with the pointed ends of his Sais extended outwards, Raph dove down but Shredder moved out of the way, just seconds away from getting impaled by Raph's trademark weapons.

Raph stepped forward but Bebop and Rocksteady stepped in front of him, cracking their knuckles in a menacing manner.

"Not so fast you stinkin' shellback, you're going to have to get past us first," responded Rocksteady, as Bebop nodded calmly by his side.

"No problem," answered Raph in a defiant voice as he leapt over the attempted laser fire before he grabbed Bebop and threw him hard to the ground. A jab from his Sai caused Rocksteady's laser weapon to malfunction. Raph grabbed Rocksteady and punched him viciously, before he tossed the genetically altered rhino halfway across the room.

The two mutant minions made their way to their feet and Raph leapt up and kicked them backwards, causing them to topple over, just as Shredder got up to his feet, looking a bit shaken, but at the same time attempting to maintain his cool.

"Let's get out of here!" whined Bebop.

"Yeah, dat crazy toitle is going to end up hurting us real bad," added Rocksteady.

"Yes, yes, I know," said Shredder as he watched Raph move towards them before he whipped his communicator out at the speed of light. "Krang, portal, now!"

"Of course, leave to me to bail out your worthless hides," responded Krang dully but the Dimensional Portal was opened and Bebop, Rocksteady, and Shredder ran towards the Portal before they disappeared through it, back to the Technodrome, preparing for the next week's scheme.

Raph, in typical Raph-fashion, gave chase, weapons at the ready but he was frozen in his tracks when he realized he was beginning to phase out again. His body began to get fainter and fainter with each passing second. As it turned out, Raph did not have all that much time to contemplate why this was happening as he disappeared in a blink of an eye from the alternative universe.


	33. Chapter 33: Same As It Never Was

**Chapter Thirty Three: Same As It Never Was**

Don sat in front of his computer monitor in the lair, analyzing the effects of the power crystals on vampire and werewolf DNA that Harry had borrowed from the Department of Mysteries of the American Wizarding Government.

"This is extremely interesting Harry," remarked Don as he looked over the data on the readings on the screen.

"In what way?" inquired Harry, working on a pair of two way mirrors on the floor, attempting to modify them for a purpose that was unknown to Don.

"Well they caused some minor regression in the vampirism effects, I suspect it was stabilized, it could be an antidote, but there are so many variables that it could cure the disease but could kill the test subject at the same time," explained Don.

"What about lycanthropy?" questioned Harry.

"From what I can see it's possible, but not probable with the small fragments we got here, it's one of the strongest magical curses out there if I'm not mistake," said Don.

"You're not," replied Harry. "Still if we could our hands on a larger quantity…"

"Yes, if we could but we combed the lair from top to bottom and we only have a few small fragments out left and we sunk the underground city in the lava, so all those Y'Lyntian power crystals down there are sunk for good," responded Don. "I suppose there could be more outposts elsewhere, as they did rule the world at one point. I'll keep working and testing some more variables."

"Thanks Don, I really don't know what we'd do without you," replied Harry, nodding slowly before turning back to his experiment which allowed Don to continue running his computer simulation for a couple of moments until the ground began rumbling beneath them causing Don to spring up in surprise as his computer monitor busted and several another small explosions went off.

Don spun around and saw a swirling vortex appear from across the lair. Harry had already quickly sprung to his feet to investigate the matter and Don decided it would be best if he had followed.

"No it can't be," muttered Harry, his eyes glued onto the vortex in some sort of hypnotic state and Don recognized what he had seen before him immediately and it terrified him that they had managed to find the lair.

"We've seen that kind of energy before," added Don as an ominous figure appeared from the vortex.

"Drako!" exclaimed Master Splinter.

"And the Daimyo's son," added Leo grimly. "This is what we told you about Master Splinter…"

"Yes, somehow merged together," continued Harry.

"All into one horrible package," concluded Raph as he walked into the lair as Ultimate Drako fully materialized right before their eyes.

"We told you we would return, we told you we would have our revenge!" declared Ultimate Drako in unison, as they brandished Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, glaring down at the Turtles, Master Splinter, and Harry with utter contempt.

"Revenge, this you whacko!" yelled Raph as he leapt up but a blast of magical energy from the time sceptre sent Raph spiraling backwards and cracking against the wall, before he landed towards the ground with a thud.

"If you could simply fight us, we can control time and space with Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, we are unbeatable!" taunted Ultimate Drako.

"GET THE SCEPTRE, NOW!" shouted Harry as he leapt in the air along with Raph, Don, Mikey, Leo, and Master Splinter at the same time but Ultimate Drako stopped them with a jet of magical energy from the time sceptre. They were suspended in mid air, frozen in stasis, unaware that time passed around them.

"Now for our revenge!" exclaimed Ultimate Drako in unison, as they looked at their helpless enemies.

"Leonardo, destroy him first!" demanded the Ultimate Ninja, remembering very well his defeat his first time on earth.

"No!" shouted Drako angrily. "We agreed, the rat will perish first, then your father, the Daimyo."

"And then Leonardo," added the Ultimate Ninja in a persistent voice.

Ultimate Drako waved the time sceptre, as it glowed a bright blue color.

"Yes, all of them will pay, all of them will learn the meaning of suffering behind time and space!" chanted Ultimate Drako as the light engulfed all six of their enemies, before they disappeared from the lair.

Don found himself down face first on the ground of the lair and he quickly pulled himself out, before he pulled his Bo staff out, ready to go into combat with Ultimate Drako but something was extremely off. The lair seemed to be in ruins and completely deserted.

"Uh guys, hello," said Don in an uncertain voice as he looked from side to side but he received no answer at all. So, he made his way to the elevator leading up to the warehouse and managed to slide the doors open, they were slightly bent. Don pressed the button to activate the elevator and it jerkily made its way up towards the warehouse. The doors were slid open and Don looked, the warehouse was completely in ruins, with half of the front wall and the roof blown off, with the Battle Shell over turned and covered in rubble. "This doesn't make any sense at all, everything was fine just seconds ago, then completely trashed, the warehouse, the lair, everything. It looks like this happened a long time ago but it can't be."

Don stopped as he gazed upon the Turtle Tunneler that looked a bit dusty, but still in one piece.

"The only thing in here in good shape is the Tunneler but that doesn't even look like it's been touched in a long, long time," stated Don as he looked around some more before he took a few reluctant steps outside, into the city which looked much more run down that he had remembered and seconds later, a bright light from a helicopter below shined light in Don's eyes. Instinctively, Don shielded his eyes with his arms.

"Halt right there, put your hands where we can see them," declared a stern voice and Don squinted to see a group of figures dressed in black with some sort of body armor. Looking closely, Don also saw a small symbol sketched on their sleeves.

The symbol was that of the Foot and as a result Don held his weapon, ready to defend himself to fight, even if the odds were a bit skewed at about twelve or thirteen to one as far as he could tell.

Fortunately for Don he did not have to fight as the attentions of his adversaries was diverted from a rusted old can that fell from the room. All eyes turned upwards, as a shadow moved across the roof.

"Up there, on the roof right there, get a light on them," shouted one of the Foot police and the helicopter hovering above had shined a light above, but the shadow had moved slightly and the police aimed their guns upwards. "Fire, open fire, shoot him down!"

Bullets few upwards towards the top of the roof, but the shadow moved from right to left before it leapt down to the ground and wiped out a pair of guards by leaping on top of their heads. Don watched as one of the Foot guards were cracked in the face by nunchucks.

"Mikey?" wondered Don in an astonished voice as the other Foot police aimed their fire but two more were toppled and the mysterious shadow leapt up, cracking an attacker backwards with nunchucks before he pulled himself to the top of a rusted old truck. A punch rocked one of the secret police, before the attacker hoisted the hood up and slammed it viciously, before the gun was taken and more fire was avoided, before the shadowed figure backed off, and fired more shots, backing up the attackers under a rickety scaffolding. The supports were shot out and the Foot secret police couldn't escape in time as a pile of rubble crushed them. They struggled to free themselves but the internal bleeding was too much to overcome.

Don looked as an aged form of Mikey stepped out of the shadows, most of his left arm missing, nothing but a total stub and several scars all over his body and face. He stood before Don with a serious expression but a bit of astonishment wore on Mikey's face.

"So it's really you, you came back" remarked Mikey gruffly as he sized up Don, his missing left arm evident.

"Mikey, your arm…" started Don but Mikey raised his right hand up, signaling Don to silence.

"Never mind me, where in the hell have you been for thirty years?" asked Mikey. "Just decided to skip out on us, didn't you, didn't bother to let us know you were alive?"

"I…wait a minute thirty years?" questioned Don, his eyes widening in surprise. "How is that even possible and more important what happened to the city?"

"No time to explain, not here anyway, we need to get out of here before we're seen," said Mikey as he looked from side to side in slightly paranoid manner. "Come, we need to keep moving, it isn't safe outside, even less since you left."

Quickly, Mikey ducked into an alley way and Don copied his brother's movement, wincing as he inadvertently stepped on a human skull lying in the just inside the alley way and seconds later, a Foot Blimp flew over the city, with a television screen on it. The image slowly came into focus, revealing the helmet of the Shredder, his glowing eyes appearing to glare down at the city with contempt as Don looked on.

"That's nothing, look above you," whispered Mikey and Don stared at the sky scrapers above him, each of them having been fit with large screens, all adorning the image of the Shredder on them.

"Servants of the Shredder, your lord and master will speak to you now," echoed the voice of Karai that could have been heard throughout New York City.

"For those of you living under the illusions that you will still have freedom, understand this, the last pockets of resistance are being eliminated, soon none will foolishly stand against me," declared the Shredder coldly. "The Utroms slaves have my colossal transmat nearly completed and soon, more worlds will fall. Above all else, remember, there is no hope, there is only the Shredder."

"Remember, the Shredder is always watching," concluded the voice of Karai but the transmission went dead.

"Messages like that, nearly every hour, destroying what little hope we have left, nearly everyone has already given up, Shredder is just rubbing salt into the wounds of the world,' said Mikey.

"But where is everyone, all the people?" wondered Don.

"The one's who survived they have to work eighteen hour days at the Shredder's labor camps, no one else is allowed out at night," said Mikey. "If any are caught disobeying those rules or in rebellion in any way, they are to be executed but let's go, I'm taking you to Master Splinter right now."

"Is Raph, Leo, and Harry with him?" wondered Don as they made there way, sticking largely to the shadows and pausing as more Foot secret police patrolled the city, no doubt picking up news of the earlier incident.

"Raph and Leo aren't with anyone anymore, as for Harry…well I don't think I should be the one to explain that one," said Mikey grimly as they made there way into the entrance to Central Park, ducking into the bushes briefly to avoid meeting up with more Foot secret police who walked by the outside of the park.

Once their pursuers had vanished, Mikey waved for Don to follow them and he stopped, pointing to a couple of pieces of wood sticking out of the ground, marking a crudely made grave.

"There," said Mikey in a somber voice and Don leaned in closer, to reveal the grave marker had faint "Splinter" scratched on it. Don was horrified beyond words, his sensei, his father, who had taught him everything he knew about ninjitsu and had only seen alive and well five minutes ago, was buried deep below the ground and Mikey turned to Don, before he continued. "Master Yoshi just to bring him right here to the park, back in the day, it's not the safest place, but it's where Sensei wanted to be buried and we did what we could to honor his last wishes."

"How did this happen though?" asked Don, finally finding his voice after standing in numb shock.

"A few years after you left, Master Splinter gave his life, protecting Leo, Raph, and me, Shredder and the Foot found the lair, wiped us all out," said Mikey as he removed a manhole cover. "We need to keep moving, The Shredder's secret police will never let up for a second for anything."

Mikey leapt down into the manhole and Don followed him closely behind before he paused as he began to phase in and out slightly. He stood there, in confusion, it was almost like something was trying to pull him somewhere but the phasing ceased.

"What happened to Leo and Raph anyway?" asked Don.

"Well, they got into a big fight years ago, let's leave it to that," replied Mikey as they moved down the sewer tunnels. "I'm taking you to the resistance headquarters, there are certain other things that you need to know, that you missed, that I don't know all that much about."

Don nodded slowly as they made there way down the sewer tunnels to the secret resistance headquarters.

In Foot Headquarters, a silvery haired Karai made her way into the room, before she stopped right by a large sliding wall with the Foot logo on it. Calmly, Karai knelt right in front of the wall.

"Master, I bring you important news," stated Karai calmly as she watched the large, shadowed insect figure from behind the sliding wall stir.

"Speak, Karai," prompted the Shredder crisply, as his new, improved, and much larger exosuit shifted slightly.

"Master, our guards have informed us of the intruder earlier today," said Karai pausing before she dropped the bombshell. "It is the turtle called Donatello."

Silence and Karai braced herself for her master's response, whatever it may have been.

"So the prodigal son returns," remarked the Shredder coldly. "See to it that Donatello's head is brought before me, with or without his body."

"As you wish," stated Karai coolly, nodding her head calmly as she walked out, turning her back on the ominous shadow form that was her master, before walking off to send the word to others.

In an abandoned building that was once served as Baxter Stockman's Stocktronics research facility, Don and Mikey walked inside, as a figure with long auburn hair tied back had her back turned to them, barking instructions.

"Hey, look what we found!" shouted Mikey, getting the figures attention, who turned around to reveal the weary face of Hailey Potter.

"Don?" wondered Hailey in surprise. "All these years, you've finally decided to come back, but Harry always withheld hope I suppose but I've hadn't had much time to hope, leading this entire operation against the Shredder, right under his nose."

"Wait, I would think Harry would be right here leading this unless…" started Don as he trailed off realizing it.

"Yes, Harry's dead, a long time ago," replied Hailey somberly. "About seven or eight years after you vanished in fact, but he felt in a way that it was his fault due to your disappearance."

"Yes, Harry would blame himself for that," agreed Don darkly. "So how…"

"Harry's battles with Voldemort took a toll on him both physically and mentally, but somehow, Harry managed to vanquish him but he was never the same again," explained Hailey. "I don't know how Harry managed to defeat Voldemort, in fact we may never know, in fact Ginny and Mum were the only ones that Harry told the full details of the battle and they took whatever secrets they had of that final battle to their grave."

"To the grave, then that means…" started Don.

"Yes, they're both dead, in fact I am one of the few magical people left in the world, but I'm unable to perform any magic, but we'll get to that later," continued Hailey. "Still, Ginny always managed to keep Harry's spirits up when they were down at the lowest and with her help, we were all sure that Harry would pull through this, even after Master Splinter was killed when he was off fighting Voldemort and Raph and Leo had their big blow up. Ginny held Harry together but the Shredder made his move."

Hailey turned, taking a drink from a cup of water before she took a deep breath.

"With help of some alien associates, Shredder managed to create a genetically engineered virus that would have done one of two things, either kill them on the spot or turn them into squibs," said Hailey. "Most died, while a select few like Harry and I were turned into squibs. Ginny didn't make it and because of the bond, her death drove Harry nearly to the point of insanity. I say nearly, because Harry left one day and decided to go after the Shredder."

_In Foot Headquarters, the Shredder sat in his throne room with hundreds of Foot Ninjas along with him. _

"_Today is a glorious day as the magical world has been wiped off the face of the earth and with that others will follow," announced the Shredder as the Foot bowed before their master. "Those who didn't die, most likely may beg for death when the virus crippled their abilities to perform magic ever again. The world will be ours."_

_A large missile blew up the wall and a tank rolled inside, several more missiles blasted right at the Foot Ninjas. Some managed to dodge out of the way but other ninjas were blown to bloody bits as the missiles sliced towards them. Blood splattered all over the tank as the top popped open and Harry Potter climbed out. _

_Harry looked very sickly, ill, yet determined to destroy the Shredder. His hair had completely fell out, his skin was sickly yellowish color, and all the life out of his vibrant green eyes were gone, his body looking unhealthily thin. He reached into the pocket of his robes and tossed several shuriken at the floor. Seconds later, they exploded and several Foot Ninjas were wiped out in the attack. _

_The assassins circled Harry but Harry pulled out a pair of swords and leapt up, slicing the swords at every which direction. Despite his sickly state, Harry's determination was such that he avoided nearly all of the attacks and his attackers dropped to the ground one by one, most of them sliced to ribbons as several._

_Harry turned his attention to Shredder who responded with a high cold laugh._

"_Elite Foot Ninja to me," ordered the Shredder and the smoke appeared, before it cleared to reveal the four Elite Foot members but Harry instantly pulled out a bazooka and pressed the trigger. _

_Before they had a chance to move, a large jet of green fire vaporized the four Foot Elite guards into nothing but ash. _

_Harry rushed up the steps to the Shredder's throat but Shredder pulled himself to his feet and calmly struck Harry in the face with his palm, causing the Boy-Who-Lived to skid down the stairs and land with a thud. Shredder made his way down the stairs and slashed Harry's face with his gauntlet. Blood dripped to the ground as Harry looked up at Shredder with contempt. _

"_You were always weak!" taunted Shredder as he kicked Harry in the stomach. "Pathetic!"_

_Shredder punched Harry in the face and Harry dropped to the ground, more blood dripping to the ground. _

"_Up to your feet, Potter!" demanded the Shredder. "Face me!"_

_Harry pulled himself to his feet and Shredder aimed a kick viciously in his stomach, causing Harry to drop to the ground once again. Shredder stood over Harry as he rolled himself to his hands and knees, blood dripping from his mouth and Shredder aimed another vicious kick, causing a loud crack to echo for some miles around. _

"_Better make the next shot count Shredder," rasped Harry weakly, as more blood dripped from his mouth and Shredder raised his gauntlet, aiming the sharp points right at Harry's throat but Harry managed to dodge out of the way and whip a chain from underneath his sleeve, causing it to wrap around Shredder. _

_Before Shredder could pull himself loose, Harry flicked shuriken from underneath his sleeves and they stuck in Shredder's armor. Seconds later, the delayed explosive charge in them detonated and Shredder was blasted backwards. Harry rushed back and grabbed the exosuit by the head, before he ripped the helmet off and threw it to the ground. _

"_Piece by piece Shredder, I'll rip you apart, just like you ripped my life apart," said Harry in a low deadly whisper as he used a sword to slice into the chest plate, denting it severely. Another slice and the chest was caved in, with Shredder falling backwards but the sword was warped so Harry picked up the axe of the vaporized Foot Elite guard and raised it above his head before he swung it down and smashed it right into the side of the armor. _

"_Potter, no, stop enough!" screamed Shredder but Harry used the battle axe to destroy the armor, taking one of the arms completely off. _

"_You killed her Shredder, and I don't have long in this world because of what you did, but with my last breath, I'll spill your blood," said Harry in a manic voice as he bashed the battle axe into the armor two more times. If Harry was able to use magic, he would have been firing the killer curse but the front stomach plate of the exosuit had been weakened enough to allow Harry to land the finishing blow to the evil Utrom within. _

"_Stop, Mr. Potter, you can't just…" stated Karai as she walked into the room feebly but Harry turned around and punched Karai right in the face, knocking her completely unconscious. _

_Unfortunately, this mild distraction allowed Shredder to struggle back to his feet, his hands on the weapon that Harry had used to vaporize his Elite Guard earlier. Harry had turned around to see the Shredder pulling the trigger._

"_I'm coming love," muttered Harry just seconds before a large jet of green fire engulfed him and Harry Potter was reduced to nothing but a few dust particles that floated in mid air before Shredder's exosuit collapsed to the ground. _

"Disturbing but you have to know what happened," concluded Hailey darkly. "The Shredder, once he recovered, was quick to announce how Harry had attempted to fight his authority and failed, to serve as an example of what happens to those who defy him and less people stopped trying to stand up to him, most just submitting to the Shredder's iron rule. Those in this facility have to keep moving but we are the ever dwindling group of those who resist the Shredder but some leave to disrupt his operations and never return."

Don stood at a loss for words.

"Well, well, well, Donatello," remarked an extremely familiar voice and Don spun around in surprise, at the voice of Baxter Stockman as he watched Hun in a wheelchair come to into the distant, with the brain of Baxter Stockman fused to Hun's shoulder, with Hun's face, a receding hairline evident, looking at Don with a deflated, defeated look. "Back and younger than ever and how do we look?"

Don stood rigid with his Bo Staff in his hand.

"As strange is it sounds, they are on our side," commented Hailey, but it was obvious that she didn't completely trust either of them.

"Yes, just another one of the Shredder's punishments," continued Stockman snidely. "Don't be impolite Hun, say hello to our guest."

"Greetings Donatello," said Hun in a defeated voice.

"How did these two get in on the resistance?" questioned Don.

"We saved them from being executed by the Shredder, they've been a help as they had knew some of the Shredder's plans but still not enough," remarked Hailey bitterly as her hair swung backwards revealing a large hole in the side of her head where her right ear should have been and she answered Don's unasked question about the missing ear. "Compliments of Bellatrix Lestrange, never did get to thank her before Neville killed her not that I'm bitter about that. He deserved it more, after what she did to his parents but his joy was short lived as he was another who was killed by the Shredder's genocide against the magical world."

Hailey looked a bit forlorn talking about Neville but she turned to hide it.

"So exactly how can we get into touch with Raph and Leo?" asked Don quickly. "We need to do something about the Shredder and we need Leo and Raph to do it."

Mikey opened his mouth to protest but Hailey cut in.

"It would take a miracle but I have to try, at the very least" replied Hailey calmly as she walked off.

Hours later, Leo looking very aged and weary, dressed in a long trench coat and sunglasses as another reminder echoed through the city that "there is no hope, only the Shredder" and "the Shredder is always watching". Leo contorted as these words taunted his ears but perhaps he was best he was blinded during another futile attempt to take down the Shredder years back and could not see the carnage around him.

On the other end of the hallway, Raph pulled himself in, several scars on his face and arms, along with the right side of his facemask stitched up to protect his severely damaged right eye but he stopped when he saw who was at the other end of the corridor.

"Leo?" inquired Raph in an uncertain voice.

"Wait, Raph, Hailey didn't say anything about you being here," said Leo in an uneasy voice.

"Oh what's the matter Leo, did I remind you how you abandoned Master Splinter when he needed us the most?" demanded Raph angrily.

"It was what he wanted Raphael, to save us," responded Leo, his temper rising.

"WE COULD HAVE SAVED HIM!" yelled Raph.

"You know we couldn't!" argued Leo but Raph had removed his Sais.

"That's it Leo, I'm done playing around, we have it out right now!" shouted Raph and Leo pulled out his katana, as the two brothers prepared for a fight but seconds later they were smacked backwards by a Bo staff before Don stepped out of the shadows.

"Leo, Raph, we need to talk," said Don in a calm voice.

"Don, no way, I can't believe it," remarked Raph as he reached over and gave his brother a big hug.

"Donatello, you're back, but how?" questioned Leo

"Does it really matter?" replied Don calmly.

"No not really but still I can't believe it," answered Leo.

"Believe it," said Mikey as he stepped into the room. "Brainiac here wants us to take another crack at the Shredder."

"Don, we tried many times," replied Raph. "Look at us and you can get a clear picture of how well that went, Master Splinter was the last straw."

"It's an impregnable fortress guarded by Foot Police and Utrominators," added Leo.

"Not to mention Karai legion bots," concluded Raph grimly.

"And even if you tried to stop him, you couldn't defeat him," added Stockman as Hun rolled into the room in his wheelchair. "His new Super Shredder exosuit is stronger than ever, I should know, I helped design it."

"Yes, it's hopeless," replied Leo.

"No, it's not, the Turtles I knew didn't believe anything was hopeless, we need to end the Shredder once and for all, the fate of the world depends on it," replied Don.

"He's right," replied Hailey as she walked out of the shadows. "I don't know if any of you realize but the Shredder has a transmat completed, which means he's about ready to check out of Earth and if you listened to Mum, the only time he checks out of planet is when he feels he has sucked it completely dry of all of its resources. You know, when he's about to destroy it."

"See, something needs to be done," concluded Don.

"Fine Don, we'll try one more time, one last time," conceded Leo. "But please tell us you have a plan to give us a fighting chance."

"I'm working on one but we need something to even the odds a little bit," said Don slowly, going over possibilities in his mind quickly as possible. "First, I need to know if we have any hardware, exosuits, anything that can be used as a weapon."

"Well there is that Karai legion bot that Doctor Stockman has been tweaking," answered Hailey promptly.

"Yes it could work, it's a start at the very least, but we need something from the lair as well," muttered Don.

"The lair?" exclaimed Raph. "Bro, that old place got trashed years ago."

"Not all of it, but no time to explain no, I'll fill you in on the way," said Don quickly as the other three Turtles, Hailey, Stockman, and Hun followed closely behind.

Back at Foot Headquarters Karai walked back into her master's throne room before she faced the large sliding wall.

"Master, the Utrom slaves have put the finishing touches on the transmat, it will be operational within the hour," informed Karai.

"Excellent," said the Shredder coldly, his super exosuit shifting slightly from behind the wall but the ground began to shake with a rumbling, causing Karai to stagger back and Shredder to turn his form slightly as the Turtle Tunneler burst from the ground. "Who dares?"

Karai pulled out her katana, ready for action as the Tunneler doors burst open with the four Turtles and Hailey making their way from the vehicle, ready for battle.

"Can the Shredder come out and play?" taunted Don as he sat right in the center of the modified legion back.

"So the Turtles have reunited," said the Shredder as the screen slid open, revealing the Super Shredder exosuit. It was nearly twenty five feet tall with reinforced metal and many blades, with a large helmet on the top, where the evil Utrom was inside. "It's been thirty years overdue but I finally put an end to your pathetic existence."

"Shredder, your reign of terror is over!" shouted Don but several Karai legion bots made there way into the room.

"Legions attack, destroy them all!" order Karai as the legion bots made there way up but Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Hailey swooped in, allowing Don to fire a series of rockets from the modified bot, wiping out several of the bots, but there were too many of them.

Raph swooped in and jammed his Sais to the optical sockets of one of the bots, jamming its circuitry, before he dodged a spear swing. Leo engaged in a vicious sword duel with another bot and Mikey leapt up, swinging his nunchucks and took out two bots, clearing Don's path as he blasted one of the bots out of the way.

Hailey pulled out a crossbow and fired three sharp arrows coated in explosive chemicals at a pair of legion bots, causing them to get blown into the air, allowing Mikey and Raph to swoop in and put the finishing touches on them.

"C'mon, we need to buy some time, keep them busy!" yelled Mikey as he wrapped his nunchucks around the bot arm before he flipped it to the ground and then leapt up and destroyed a second adversary with a well placed swing.

In the distance, Hun's wheelchair rolled down the Tunneler steps.

"Hun stop what are you doing?" demanded Stockman as Hun. "We're supposed to stay in the Tunneler…"

"Master take me back," begged Hun.

"What?" demanded Shredder as he looked down at both what was left of Stockman and Hun with barely disguised disgust.

"I'll serve you please…" stated Hun in a shaky voice but Shredder wasn't buying it.

"Hun you idiot, we should have stayed inside," lectured Stockman.

"Exterminating you two pests will be an added bonus to today's victory," summarized Shredder coolly as he raised his large exosuit foot up.

"Ah crud," deadpanned Hun before Shredder brought his foot down on both Hun and Stockman. A loud crack of bones was heard.

Hailey aimed an arrow at one of the bots but it caught it. Seconds later, the arrow exploded, which caused the bot to fly backwards. On the other end of the room, Mikey managed to knock one of his attackers back but a group of six robots surrounded him, weapons raised.

"What…no…I can't…." started Mikey as the robots viciously slashed at Mikey who gave an anguished shriek before he fell to the ground, dead.

"Mikey, Mikey, no, no, this can't be happening!" cried Don in horror as he watched his second youngest brother drop to the ground and his eyes narrowed in anger before he blasted right past every one, cutting a path of destruction. "No, you're pay for this Shredder, if this is the last thing I ever do, you will pay you murderous bastard!"

With unnatural intensity, Don turned the weapon system of his suit on the Shredder, blasting him with bullet he had in the modified legion bot.

Seconds later, the Shredder reached forward from the smoke and grabbed Don by the arms, before he lifted him up, so Don was face to face with the Utrom in the helmet.

"Thirty years and this is all you have, truly pathetic," remarked the Shredder as he threw Don to the ground before he kicked him. "Disgusting creature.

The Shredder aimed another kick right towards Don, rocketing him halfway across the room and Leo stepped in but Karai dodged in front of him, clashing her katana against Leo's.

"You should have never come," said Karai coolly but Leo had pushed her backwards, causing Karai to lose her balance and Leo to aim his katana at Karai once again.

"It's a shame that you chose duty over honor," replied Leo as he knocked Karai backwards and caused her to land on the ground. Leo raised his katana into the air, hovering right above Karai's head as she screwed her eyes shut.

Seconds later, Leo spun around and sliced one of the Karai bots in half. The top half slid to the floor and Leo made an anguished sound as he felt a katana slice into the back of his neck.

"Forgive me, Leonardo," said Karai quietly as she watched Leo fall to the ground.

"YOU BITCH!" shouted Raph, rushing over and grabbing Karai, before flinging her to the ground. Raph wrapped his hands around the throat of Karai but he found himself flipped right into a glass structure. The glass shattered and sent pieces flying in every direction.

Raph pulled himself up and picked up one of the pieces, before he roughly threw it at Karai who sliced it with her katana. Springing up, Raph held his Sais out and Karai dodged to the side, avoiding the Sais being plunged into her skull. Raph swung around but Karai sliced Raph's chest with her weapon.

Raph fell down to the ground, with a pained expression as blood dripped to the floor from the deep cut.

"Leo…Leo….Leo…" stammered Raph as he crawled over towards the motionless form of his fallen older brother leaving a trail of blood. Raph gave a futile attempt to pull himself up but collapsed, with his arm draped over Leo.

"It ends now, Karai," declared Hailey as she aimed her crossbow and Karai charged Hailey, leaping up into the air, her katana at the ready, but Hailey was quicker on the draw.

The arrow pieced Karai's throat before exploding, blowing Karai's head off of her shoulders and causing Karai to collapse to the ground. Hailey looked down at Karai but she felt an arm pull her up into the air and Hailey found herself face to face with the Shredder.

"You'll pay for that, child," said the Shredder as he used his arms to hoist Hailey high into the air before he threw her with little effort into a wall. Hailey's back snapped on impact and she dropped to the floor, a few weak breaths leaving her body before she knew no more.

Don's eyes opened weakly as the cold laugh of the Shredder taunted him.

"You are the last of your kind Donatello and I will now crush you like the insignificant worm you are," threatened the Shredder as he lifted Don up, who saw the Tunneler out of the corner of his eye.

"You always did claim victory before you actually won Shredder but this entire attack was to get you into position to do this!" yelled Don as he pressed a button on the modified legion bot. Large chains wrapped around the Shredder before Don activated the Turtle Tunneler before he pulled Shredder closer towards the drill.

"No, what is happening?" demanded Shredder as Don managed to bail out of his armor just as the Turtle Tunneler drill began to slice through it, blasting through it in a matter of seconds, before it worked its way up the exosuit towards the Utrom. "No, I am the Shredder, I am the Shredder, the Shredder…no….argh!"

Shredder gave one more scream of terror as the drill drove right through the bottom of his form, slicing its way up, ripping him into pieces and sent blood splattering every where. Seconds later, the drill shut down.

"It's done," concluded Don as he looked around, at the depressing scene before him, realizing that he was the only one left, they had all given there lives and he just barely managed to stop the Shredder, but it was too late before it did.

Seconds later, Don watched as his body began to phase out, it had pulled at him, it was stronger than what happened before and Don felt himself being pulled to a location unknown to him. However, he reasoned that wherever it was, it was better than this nightmarish world.


	34. Chapter 34: The Negative Perception

**Chapter Thirty Four: The Negative Perception**

Harry laid on his stomach on the lair floor, with two communication mirrors laid in front of him, in addition to the one he had in his pocket. It was his hope that he could create three way and maybe four way communications involving the mirrors. In the end, it would be all tied to a super communication mirror, located at the Potter residence that could accept several contacts at once and would be a useful object for his fight against Voldemort.

"This is extremely interesting Harry," remarked Don, causing Harry to look up from his work to see what progress his technical minded brother had made involving the crystals and the vampire and werewolf DNA samples.

"In what way?" asked Harry who was curious for a variety of reasons as to the effects on the crystal on fully transformed specimens of both magical creatures.

"Well they caused some minor regression in the vampirism effects, I suspect it was stabilized, it could be an antidote, but there are so many variables that it could cure the disease but could kill the test subject at the same time," explained Don.

"What about lycanthropy?" questioned Harry, with Remus on his mind and the prejudice he had to deal with just by a virtue of being a werewolf.

"From what I can see it's possible, but not probable with the small fragments we got here, it's one of the strongest magical curses out there if I'm not mistake," said Don.

"You're not," replied Harry. "Still if we could our hands on a larger quantity…"

"Yes, if we could but we combed the lair from top to bottom and we only have a few small fragments out left and we sunk the underground city in the lava, so all those Y'Lyntian power crystals down there are sunk for good," responded Don. "I suppose there could be more outposts elsewhere, as they did rule the world at one point. I'll keep working and testing some more variables."

"Thanks Don, I really don't know what we'd do without you," replied Harry, nodding slowly before turning back to his experiment, doing a little more work on the mirrors.

Not even seconds later, explosions rang out through the lair, which caused Harry to instinctively spring up to his feet and take a few tentative steps forward as a swirling vortex of magical energy appeared above the lair and he recognized it immediately.

"No, it can't be," muttered Harry hoping against all hope that it wasn't, as his eyes were glued to the vortex and he stiffened his body, ready for a fight.

"We've seen that kind of energy before," commented Don from behind Harry, as he watched an ominous figure appear in the lair out of the vortex.

"Drako!" exclaimed Master Splinter.

"And the Daimyo's son," added Leo grimly. "This is what we told you about Master Splinter…"

"Yes, somehow merged together," continued Harry.

"All into one horrible package," concluded Raph as he walked into the lair as Ultimate Drako fully materialized right before their eyes.

"We told you we would return, we told you we would have our revenge!" declared Ultimate Drako in unison, as they brandished Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, glaring down at the Turtles, Master Splinter, and Harry with utter contempt.

"Revenge, this you whacko!" yelled Raph as he leapt up but a blast of magical energy from the time sceptre sent Raph spiraling backwards and cracking against the wall, before he landed towards the ground with a thud.

"If you could simply fight us, we can control time and space with Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, we are unbeatable!" taunted Ultimate Drako.

"GET THE SCEPTRE, NOW!" shouted Harry as he leapt in the air along with Raph, Don, Mikey, Leo, and Master Splinter at the same time but Ultimate Drako stopped them with a jet of magical energy from the time sceptre. They were suspended in mid air, frozen in stasis, unaware that time passed around them.

"Now for our revenge!" exclaimed Ultimate Drako in unison, as they looked at their helpless enemies.

"Leonardo, destroy him first!" demanded the Ultimate Ninja, remembering very well his defeat his first time on earth.

"No!" shouted Drako angrily. "We agreed, the rat will perish first, then your father, the Daimyo."

"And then Leonardo," added the Ultimate Ninja in a persistent voice.

Ultimate Drako waved the time sceptre, as it glowed a bright blue color.

"Yes, all of them will pay, all of them will learn the meaning of suffering behind time and space!" chanted Ultimate Drako as the light engulfed all six of their enemies, before they disappeared from the lair.

Harry blinked, looking around, he was back in the lair and nothing seemed to change, other than the fact his brothers and Master Splinter had vanished.

"Guys, Master Splinter!" called Harry but he got no answer as the lair was empty and he took a few tentative steps forward, his weapon out, just in case Ultimate Drako had found a way to use the time sceptre to make themselves invisible.

As Harry walked forward, he felt a sense of foreboding at the surroundings in the lair. The interior decoration was the same, but the furniture and electronics appeared to be not only brand new, but the best of the line as opposed to their usual patched up experience, from being discarded items.

As he turned around, Harry just realized that the elevator in the back of the lair most certainly wasn't there. The wall was completely blank, no control panel to activate the elevator or sliding doors.

Harry made his way over to the front of the lair, but he froze, weapon steady in his hand as the doors slid open, to reveal four shadowed figures entering the room. When they walked into the room, Harry relaxed when he saw that they were his brothers.

"Oh, good it's you guys," replied Harry and his four turtles pulled laser weapons out and pointed them on Harry.

"Who are you, intruder?" demanded Leo as he held the weapon on Harry.

"What are you talking about Leo, it's me Harry?" inquired Harry.

"Nice try, imposter," replied Raph savagely. "But, we just got back with our meeting with the Dark Emperor and we know for a fact that you're trying to pull a fast one on us by posing as him."

"Guys, if this is a joke, it's really not funny," said Harry, with a frown. "Where's Master Splinter?"

"Okay, now we know he's an imposter, he asked about the rodent," declared Don savagely.

"Let's take him down, he is a threat to security," added Mikey viciously as they pointed their laser blasters at Harry and sent a jet of bright red laser fire right at Harry, who ducked and dodged out of the way, before he threw himself behind the couch to shield the fire.

"Remove his cover, he can't get away that easily!" ordered Leo angrily.

Harry pulled his wand out and attempted to pull the laser blasters away but attempt to reason with what he assumed was his brothers but now didn't seem to be. However, he suddenly remembered that exposure to the time sceptre had adverse effects on his magic and left him as basically a squib until he was sent back to his own time.

"Guess we do things the old fashioned way," muttered Harry as he sprung up over the laser fire, and managed to kick the blaster out of the hands of one of his faux brothers, before he placed in his hand and aimed the laser fire upwards, before he blasted it to the ceiling, causing some rubble to fall down and surround the four Turtles.

Before they could blast their way out, Harry moved quickly from the lair and made his way to the nearest exit point.

Pushing aside the manhole cover, Harry pulled himself to the streets above and the sight he viewed floored Harry to say the least. Normally, he would be greeted with various pieces of graffiti in different shapes and sizes, but the buildings were absolutely spotless and in fact, they looked completely flawless in every way. As Harry moved down the street, and looked from side to side, there was not one piece of litter lying on the ground, something that was foreign in any city, especially one this size.

Walking forward, Harry noticed that each and every lawn in the city was perfectly kept up, they could have all passed as parks and they didn't give off the appearance of being in a city with a high crime rate. The air also smelled absolutely clean and gazing upwards, the sky also was clear, with not the smallest cloud of pollution hanging and as he moved towards the docks, the water looked clear enough to drink right away without any filtering.

The little incident at the lair planted doubts in Harry's mind but one thing was clear from taking a quick survey of the surroundings around the city. This was not his world, no question about it. The lack of flaws and indeed the perfection of the environment of the city caused shivers to run down Harry's spine. As wonderful as everything around him looked, there was something absolutely unnatural about it that Harry could not shake off.

"You have questions no doubt," remarked a calm, undistinguishable voice from behind Harry and he spun around, before seeing a figure dressed in a black robe with a white hood pulled, obscuring his face, except for his eyes which were covered by tinted goggles, obscuring anyone distinguishing in from his eye mark and Harry spun around, before he pulled out his weapon. "That action was foreseeable and I do apologize for the heavy handed actions of my enforcers, but I assure you I mean you no harm."

"Who are you?" demanded Harry, as he was extremely untrustworthy of anyone who didn't show his real face.

"A kindred spirit," answered the hooded figure shortly. "I may reveal my face to you in time, but there are certain truths I must reveal to you prior to that time. Such as, I'm sure you figured out by now this is not your world."

"Yes, I have," responded Harry, careful not to take his eyes off the hooded figure. "It's so different and…"

"It was not unlike your world at one time, but things change," answered the hooded figure cryptically as Harry opened his mouth, but the figure seemed to know exactly what Harry had been thinking. "Come, all your questions will be answered right now."

Before Harry could protest, the hooded figure grabbed Harry by the arm and seconds later they disapparated from New York City.

Just seconds after they left, a family of five exited a restaurant, dressed in ideal clothes and perfectly groomed. A three year old girl looked around, a happy look etched on her face, as she clutched a napkin and walked forward, as her mother, father, older brother, and older sister followed her, to keep up with the little tyke, all with cheery smiles on their face, as they looked around, appreciating the beauty around them.

In the blink of the eye, the napkin slipped out of the three year old girl's hand and fell to the ground, causing the parents to yelp in terror and the eyes of the older siblings to widen, despite the smiles remaining etched on their faces.

"Suzy, you did a very bad thing," admonished the girl's mother as the girl burst into tears.

"It was an accident Mommy!" shouted the little girl. "I didn't mean to."

"Now you're crying," remarked the father blandly, with a smile on his face. "It's not polite to cry, we must be happy and thank the great Dark Emperor for the paradise he has created for us."

"Yes, sister, we must all be perfect, as he has created perfection," added the older sister calmly, showing no emotion outside the smile.

"I didn't mean to!" shouted the little girl.

"You don't want things to go back to the way it was, Suzy," remarked the older brother. "If we allow flaws, then everything our beloved Dark Emperor worked for will be erased."

At that moment, a group of imposing looking figures dressed in black leather bodysuits with facemasks and goggles obscuring their faces, carrying cattle prods made their way up to the family.

"Which one of you committed this vile act," prompted one of the figures cheerfully.

"It was our youngest daughter, Suzy, it would be an honor if the Dark Emperor would teach her the error of her ways," replied the mother.

"Yes, even though we are not worthy of the benevolence of our great leader," added the father and in an instant, a figure stuck the cattle prod in the side of Suzy.

Seconds later, the girl completely fell to the ground, completely unconscious, as one of the group pulled out her wand and vanished the offending napkin, leaving no trace it had ever been there.

"We must take the rest of this family, to make sure they haven't strayed, so they don't threaten our paradise," suggested one of the figures happily.

"Oh, no need, we aren't worthy of this act of kindness," said the older sister.

"Hold up your hands," ordered one of the figures cheerfully and the other family members did so, with hopeful looks on their face before they were stuck with the cattle prods.

Seconds later, the entire family were dragged towards a vibrant looking van and rolled inside, before they were driven off for their reeducation.

Meanwhile, Harry looked around, they were right outside of St. Mungos and the hooded figure stood, awaiting Harry to speak.

"Why did you bring me here of all places?" asked Harry.

"Knowledge," replied the hooded figure calmly. "First, I would not be foolish to say that your world is in turmoil. Several dangerous forces threatening the peace and safety of all of humanity. Everywhere you turn, there seems to be a new, more dangerous threat and the threats you already know of keep getting bolder, more dangerous, more daring. It's the point where you're overwhelmed and can't fight them all off. Soon, someone is going to get hurt and deep down, you are beginning to come to the unfortunate possibility that it will be someone that you care about dearly."

"Yes, those thoughts have entered my head a few times," responded Harry with a grave nod. "Still, what would you know about that?"

"That's the way things used to be," answered the hooded figure. "Until everything changed."

"How did everything change?" asked Harry. "If you could tell me…"

"I cannot tell you," interjected the hooded figure. "Mere words will not adequately describe what is necessary to introduce change."

"I thought you said you would give me knowledge," said Harry who was starting to become a little peeved at the mysterious nature of this hooded individual.

"I shall show you things that will open up your mind to a whole new world of possibilities," responded the hooded figure. "It will allow you to come to realization of truths that I understood a long time ago."

"I still don't understand how a hospital is supposed to give me these answers that you claim you have," argued Harry.

"Follow me," prodded the hooded figure and seconds later, the two entered St. Mungos without another word and walked forward, until the hooded figure walked up to a blank black wall. "Sixth floor, authorization code, 18-5-20-20-15-16."

Harry paused, with a slight look of confusion on his face. St. Mungo's in his world only went up to the fifth floor, what could have required a sixth floor? He watched the wall dissolved slightly, revealing a doorway which the hooded figure walked to before he stood on a platform. Harry followed and the platform levitated upwards towards the sixth floor.

He was taken aback, as his body appeared to be fading in and out of reality. Harry felt as if something was pulling him away from this world for the briefest second, as his body looked all fuzzy and nearly indistinguishable but seconds later, Harry became more solid, almost as if what was pulling him away was abruptly ripped away from him.

A sliding door opened and Harry followed the mysterious hooded figure inside to a bright and vibrant hallway.

"Throughout this hallway you will find those who formally threatened the peace and the safety of the entire world, had I kept up the fight the way I did in the past, they would still be running wild today like those are in your world," explained the hooded figure. "Come forth, there will be familiar faces, but I assure you, they cannot harm you even if they were able to. They are merely patients, getting the treatment they require to perhaps one day assimilate them back into this world"

Harry looked around, on either side; there were large clean rooms with glass screens on either side, at least a couple dozen on either side. He stepped back as he saw the familiar face of Bellatrix Lestrange with a smile on her face. It wasn't the usual insane smile either; it was a sweet, innocent smile that in some way seemed just a tiny bit creepy. Harry watched Bellatrix as she went back and forth in a rocking chair, happily knitting, never breaking her happy demeanor.

He looked over to the other side and spotted Dumbledore sitting on the side of the bed, reading the Daily Prophet, the twinkle in his eye more vibrant then ever and a cheerful smile on his face, but he didn't seem to know that either Harry or the hooded figure were in the room at all. He saw more familiar faces as he walked forward, Hun, Baxter Stockman, Lucius Malfoy, his estranged squib brother Luther, and Agent Bishop to name a few.

At the very end of the hall, Harry stepped back, he saw the Shredder in a large tank, out of exosuit, just in his Utrom form, with another smile on his face. There was just one more cell and Harry turned to see the smiling face of one Tom Marvolo Riddle, otherwise known as Lord Voldemort.

"Good morning," remarked Voldemort cheerfully. "It's quite a lovely day; I hope you'll well, because I know I am."

Harry shuddered, pleasant happy cheerful smiling Voldemort was just wrong but his eyes remained on Voldemort for a few seconds, before he spotted a metallic headband that seemed to be glowing. Come to think of it, all the patients or prisoners more accurately, had these headbands.

"How did you accomplish this?" asked Harry, even if he had some rather disturbing theories forming in his mind.

"It's an explanation you will not want to know," remarked the hooded figure. "No need to worry, none of these individuals have the ability to harm even the merest, weakest, insect. It serves as an example of those who may feel the need disrupt the harmony of the world we live in."

"I see," replied Harry calmly.

"Take some time to go over what you've seen in your mind," suggested the hooded figure. "Now, we go to Hogwarts."

After taking the long way down out of St. Mungo's, the hooded figure made Harry disapparate to Hogsmeade before they made their way up to the school. Once again, the grass outside of each house was cut to resemble a park and the houses weren't just mere cottages, they resembled the ideal looking suburban homes that might be found in a respectable neighborhood. The shops also looked more respectable, even the Hog's Head, normally a ratting bar, was kept up nicely without the lingering goat stench.

The gates swung open as the two made their way up to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Pushing open the front door, they made their way to the corridor that was just out of the Great Hall.

"You've seen the world we lived in, a world that is paradise in every way," concluded the hooded figure. "Every dangerous threat has been contained, but it's sad to say that you didn't realize the truths the same truths that were realized here. Your world is very rapidly deteriorating by each passing day but not all is loss, I can fix it."

"Look, I appreciate the offer but I really need to get out of here and find a way home," said Harry. "Besides, I'm not really uncomfortable with this world, everything is perfect and if something is too good to be true, then I honestly feel it probably is."

Harry took a step forward but shackles materialized, snapping onto his wrists and ankles and a group of hooded individuals made their way into the corridor.

"We're afraid the Dark Emperor cannot allow you to leave," replied one of the figures in a cheerful voice.

"Correct, I cannot," added the Dark Emperor. "It's for the good of everyone in your world if everything is fixed like here."

"Yes everything is fixed here, but at what cost?" inquired Harry.

"We have universal world peace and everyone is perfectly safe from harm, as long as they don't do anything to disrupt the harmony that I've tirelessly created in this world," remarked The Dark Emperor. "The only cost was their freedom, a foolish privilege, as freedom allows those who prey on the innocent do as they please but I fixed that problem as you saw with my guests at St. Mungo's. Death is too good for those blemishes on humanity."

The Dark Emperor looked at Harry.

"In time, you will be reeducated and assimilated, you will come to understand and accept what has happened here," added the Dark Emperor. "You'll thank me; it's for your own good."

"Wait, tell me who you are!" demanded Harry.

"I am a kindred spirit, but yes, you might as well…" started the Dark Emperor before he trailed off and then switched to a different voice. "Hear my true voice and see my true face."

Harry paled, as he heard his own voice coming out of the Dark Emperor and the hood came off, with the goggles off as well. Truly, it was almost like he was staring into a mirror as the Dark Emperor looked right into his face.

"Hello, Harry," replied the Dark Emperor in a calm voice. "It's like looking into a mirror."

"A cracked one," muttered Harry darkly under his breath as his first thoughts were this version of him was like the reverse version of himself, a negative version, basically a Nega-Harry, and the name stuck in his mind.

"The exact moment I realized that I couldn't let the world continue as it is when the girl I loved was victimized by an enchanted diary, which if I'm not mistaken, also happened in your world, with her counterpart," explained Nega-Harry. "In a sense, Ginny was violated by Tom, and the bastard who put an eleven year old girl in that position got away without the merest blemish on his reputation. Something had to be done, if the Ministry of Magic wasn't going to do it, then I would find a way to and it worked, we now live in a perfect world."

"Yes, a perfect world you rule, Dark Emperor," retorted Harry spitting out the last two words. "Your enemies have been reduced to mindless puppets, it would have been just more humane to kill them. You're no better than the people you're fighting!"

"It's a shame you aren't open minded enough to see the truth," said Nega-Harry calmly, brushing off Harry's venom. "I've observed your world for the past few months. The fact you came here just accelerates my plans, as you'll be kept out of the way."

"I won't let you get away with this," responded Harry.

"It isn't like I'll give you a chance," answered Nega-Harry and seconds later, Harry felt himself shocked by the cattle prods.

Seconds later, Harry fell to the ground.

"Confiscate his weapons," said Nega-Harry. "Ensure you find everything."

"What of his wand, Dark Emperor?" asked one of his followers.

"Leave it alone, without the ability to perform magic, it isn't like it would be of much use anyway," replied Nega-Harry and suddenly his universe's Ginny made her way into the room.

"Babe, it's almost done!" cried Nega-Ginny happily before she stopped. "Wait isn't that…"

"Yes, Gin-Gin, that's my alternate counterpart on the floor," responded Nega-Harry as he took his girlfriend, rather his queen into his arms and kissed her passionately for about a minute, before they broke off. "Intelligent but hopelessly naïve, I'm afraid, he'll need to be put out of the way for a bit."

"That world's so broken, but we can fix it," said Nega-Ginny quietly as she leaned on Nega-Harry. "They might resist at first, but we need to be firm, in time they will appreciate us."

"Excellent, with you by my side, another world will be repaired and turned into a blissful utopia, a paradise," answered Nega-Harry in an adoring voice as he kissed his love on the forehead before he grabbed her by the hand. "Lead me to it, my fair lady."

"As you wish," giggled Nega-Ginny, bouncing up and down in a bubbly manner.

"And place him in the dungeons, I'll deal with him later," added Nega-Harry as the dastardly duo made their way to the Great Hall, hand in hand.

Harry's eyes opened just partially, he had went down easily from those cattle prods, to lure his enemies into a false sense of security. He felt himself being dragged off to the dungeons. Once he felt his shackles removed, no doubt to transfer him into a different set of restraints in the Dungeon, Harry made his move, sinking his fist into the gut of one of his attackers.

"Restrain him!" cheered one of the guards as they aimed their cattle prods but Harry used the chains of the shackle to whip his attackers in the face before he leapt up and wiped out another advancing attacker with a vicious kick right to the face.

Two more charged Harry, wielding katana but Harry managed to use the chain to wrap around one of the katana and pulled it out of the hands of his would be attacker, causing him to spiral to the ground. The katana flew up and Harry expertly caught it before he engaged the other attacker in a sword fight. A vicious swipe snapped the sword and Harry stabbed his weapon right into the chest of the attacker.

With all of the guards disabled, Harry made his way down the corridor, time was off the essence, especially since it appeared that Nega-Harry had found a way to travel from this universe into Harry's native universe.

Nega-Harry placed his arm around his queen, as he looked at the inter-dimensional gateway, a large mirror like device. He watched as two of his associates rolled two barrels of contained magical energy over, before they were hooked up to the inter-dimensional gateway.

"Dark Emperor, the gateway will be powered up in a matter of moments," informed one of his associates.

"Very good, very good," replied Nega-Harry with a calm nod.

"Just think, it will be like a dream, Harrykins, I don't think anyone in that world can stop us," cooed Nega-Ginny sweetly.

"Damn right," answered Nega-Harry. "I've neutralized their counterparts, they will fall, and the paradise will be spread over two words, Gin-Gin. No one in that world can stop us."

"That's because I'm not in that word," responded a quiet voice and Nega-Harry looked up to see Harry standing right there, ready for a fight.

"Impressive," remarked Nega-Harry. "I figured you might try to escape, play the hero."

"It's what I do," said Harry as he stepped forward.

"He could crush you, you know," said Nega-Ginny savagely.

"He could," admitted Harry, before he decided to attempt to bait his enemy. "If he had all of his little brainwashed minions to help him that is."

"Wait a minute, you think you can beat my baby!" yelled Nega-Ginny angrily. "He could wipe the floor with you, you can't even do magic here…"

"Gin-Gin, please," interrupted Nega-Harry as he grabbed his beloved's hand before he stared at his alternate counterpart. "So, hero, I offered you help to fix everything, I tried to keep you out of the way for your own good, but still you refused to open your eyes. So, it's up to me to personally deal with you, as I can see it perfectly now, you are the biggest obstacle for undisputed paradise I have ever seen."

"Come on, give it your best shot, with no magic," taunted Harry. "Unless you don't think you are a match for me."

"I am more than a match for you, hero," retorted Nega-Harry as he conjured a katana of his own, before he stepped forward. "We duel the old fashion way, no magic."

Both warriors rushed forward and the swords clanged together, with neither Harry giving up any ground for a few seconds before Nega-Harry used his katana flawlessly to snap his counterpart's weapon and then blasted him backwards with a vicious palm blow!

Harry fell to the ground, that shot hurt like hell and Nega-Harry pulled Harry to his feet before he flung his counterpart across the room. With expert precision, the katana very nearly came down but Harry rolled out of the way just a split second before it would have stabbed into him. A kick was aimed towards his enemy but Nega-Harry casually blocked it before he leapt up and cracked Harry right in the chest with a kick that came too quick for the Boy-Who-Lived to block.

Nega-Harry gripped Harry by the hair and smashed his fist right into his opponent's face. His head rocked back and another punch rocked Harry, before his mirror counterpart grabbed him around the head and began to twist, in an attempt to break his neck. Harry pressed his hand against Nega-Harry's face and pushed him back slightly, loosening Nega-Harry's grip around his throat.

Harry made his way back to the feet and swung a punch but his hand felt as if cracked against an invisible wall and he staggered backwards.

"Coward, using magic to stop my attacks!" shouted Harry. "You have no honor at all."

"Honor is for fools, I wouldn't have changed the world if I had honor!" responded Nega-Harry in disgust as he blasted Harry right in the face with a punch that was enhanced about four or five times in strength thanks to magic. Harry dropped to the floor, his nose cracked, blood oozing from it and Nega-Harry hoisted him up effortlessly.

Harry was flung across the room and landed with a thud. Seconds later, Nega-Harry was on top of him and hoisted up Harry's head, so they were face to face.

"I'll let you live, if you say that my way of looking at the world is better," ordered Nega-Harry. "I want to help you, admit I'm right."

"NEVER!" hissed Harry as he managed to pull out an overlooked shuriken from his inside his sleeve and flicked it past Nega-Harry and it stuck in one of the barrels of stored magic.

"No wonder your world is as messed up as it is, you can't even hit someone with a shuriken properly," taunted Nega-Harry.

"Wasn't meaning to hit you, Dark Emperor," muttered Harry as the explosive charge of the shuriken detonated, cracking the barrel of exposed magic and causing Nega-Harry to spin around, his eyes widened in horror.

"What have you done?" demanded Nega-Harry but Harry used the distraction to kick Nega-Harry right into the barrel of stored magic before he rolled out of the way.

Seconds later, the barrel exploded, sending Nega-Harry flying forward, and causing him to spiral to the ground with several loud bangs going off everywhere, one of which caused the Inter-Dimensional gateway to shatter into millions of pieces.

"No, he tried to help you, you killed him!" cried Nega-Ginny hysterically as she rushed forward and tried to attack Harry but Harry calmly blocked her hand with his own. "Let me go, you bastard!"

Harry pushed the girl backwards, disgusted at this alternate, warped version of his girlfriend but as he turned around, Nega-Harry pulled himself to his feet, burned slightly from getting blasted with the stored magic but still alive and he pulled out his wand, pointing it at Harry.

"Several years of work, ruined," said Nega-Harry. "You've made an enemy for life, hero, but now we finish what we started."

Harry stepped forward but then his body began to phase and he looked off at his negative counterpart.

"Looks like someone wants me away from here," remarked Harry.

"No, you won't leave, this isn't over," said Nega-Harry as he rushed forward as his counterpart began to get fainter before he disappeared into thin air, leaving Nega-Harry with his fingers clasping at empty air.

"His world is a lost cause," remarked Nega-Ginny softly as she placed her hands on the back of Nega-Harry's neck. "Perhaps it would better off if we focused on keeping the harmony of this world."

"Nothing is a loss cause, Gin-Gin, I'm not giving up that easily," said Nega-Harry. "I can't have his world inadvertently contaminate mine; he hasn't seen the last of us. Not by a long shot."


	35. Chapter 35: The Real World Part I

**Chapter Thirty Five: The Real World Part One:**

Master Splinter finished lighting a circle of a dozen candles around Leo, as his oldest son stood attentively, katanas in hand and ready for training.

"Tonight, Leonardo, the point of this exercise is to work on the synergy required for success of a true warrior," explained Master Splinter as Leo nodded, before he prepared to battle. "All the elements that are necessary, mind, body, soul, and weapon, are implemented and must work as one in order to eliminate each and every enemy as they surround you. Enemies such as represented by these candles surrounding you. Now we begin."

Leo nodded as he quickly and effortlessly swung around, beginning to put the candles out with his weapons.

"It is most crucial to keep all enemies within your line of sight, while moving as little as possible, keeping your options open from all sides," lectured Master Splinter as Leo continued the exercise. "The true synergy of all the elements that I discussed will make this process as seamless as breathing."

Leo just acknowledged Master Splinter as he continued the exercise but his concentration was broken by Mikey from the side of the room.

"I love comics," piped up Mikey and Leo tried to continue his training, but Mikey would just not shut up. "Do you know why I like comics Leo? I know you want to know?"

"Probably because of the super heroes," grunted Leo more in an attempt to get Mikey to shut up so he could concentrate on the training exercise.

"Ding ding, ding, give the blue bandanna wearing katana wielding turtle a prize, it's all about the heroes!" cheered Mikey as Leo gritted his teeth as Mikey was having one of his annoying spells, at the worst possible time. "Super powers, super costumes, super…"

"Michelangelo, enough!" admonished Master Splinter sternly. "Leonardo is training, perhaps you would like to join him as it seems you have so much free time on your hands."

"Uh, I think I hear Don calling," remarked Mikey quickly as he sprang up to walk off, leaving Leo in peace with his training, but only for a few seconds as the ground beneath Leo began to shake.

Leo spun around, katanas at the ready as the walls began to rumble and he heard glass breaking from behind him. Seconds later, a swirling vortex of blue light appeared above the lair and Leo stiffened, as he recognized it right away. Over his shoulder, he saw Don and Harry walk over, to investigate it.

"We've seen that kind of energy before," remarked Don as Leo turned to see an ominous figure come from out of the vortex before four eyes turned their attention to the Turtles, Master Splinter, and Harry.

"Drako!" exclaimed Master Splinter in shock.

"And the Daimyo's son," added Leo, as he watched the merged figure apprehensively as it floated in the air before he turned his head slightly towards his sensei, making sure to keep one eye firmly on Ultimate Drako. "This is what we told you about Master Splinter…"

"Yes, merged together somehow," chimed in Harry as Leo saw that he was looking equally ready for battle.

"All into one horrible package," added Raph as he joined the group as he exited his room.

"We told you we would return, we told you we would have our revenge!" declared Ultimate Drako in unison, as they brandished Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, glaring down at the Turtles, Master Splinter, and Harry with utter contempt.

"Revenge, this you whacko!" yelled Raph as he leapt up but a blast of magical energy from the time sceptre sent Raph spiraling backwards and cracking against the wall, before he landed towards the ground with a thud.

"If you could simply fight us, we can control time and space with Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre, we are unbeatable!" taunted Ultimate Drako.

Leo opened his mouth to suggest that they make a grab for the sceptre but Harry beat him to the punch.

"GET THE SCEPTRE, NOW!" shouted Harry as he leapt in the air along with Raph, Don, Mikey, Leo, and Master Splinter at the same time but Ultimate Drako stopped them with a jet of magical energy from the time sceptre. They were suspended in mid air, frozen in stasis, unaware that time passed around them.

"Now for our revenge!" exclaimed Ultimate Drako in unison, as they looked at their helpless enemies.

"Leonardo, destroy him first!" demanded the Ultimate Ninja, remembering very well his defeat his first time on earth.

"No!" shouted Drako angrily. "We agreed, the rat will perish first, then your father, the Daimyo."

"And then Leonardo," added the Ultimate Ninja in a persistent voice.

Ultimate Drako waved the time sceptre, as it glowed a bright blue color.

"Yes, all of them will pay, all of them will learn the meaning of suffering behind time and space!" chanted Ultimate Drako as the light engulfed all six of their enemies, before they disappeared from the lair.

Leo blinked as he found himself in a meadow, off the side of a wooded area. Shaking his head briefly to clear it, Leo looked around and heard footsteps.

"Drako?" wondered Leo as he saw a shadow but it was just a medium sized lizard that was most certainly not Ultimate Drako, as it ran off without incident.

Leo pulled himself to a standing position, taking a brief look at the surroundings around him and he recognized it immediately.

"This looks like Feudal Japan," muttered Leo as he looked around, even though it was foolish to think one of his brothers or Master Splinter would pop up from behind the tree. "The others, they're so far away, I need to…"

Leo was cut off by the sound of approaching horse and he heard a loud thump from behind him, which startled him as the horses ran off. Quickly, Leo saw one of the figures slowly rise to her feet. Taken aback, Leo saw that she resembled an anthropomorphic cat and was dressed in traditional samurai garb.

"Are you okay?" asked Leo as he looked at the mystery samurai. "You came out of nowhere."

She didn't bother to answer, but rather pull out a sword and sprung to attack Leo, which caused the turtle barely enough reaction time to block her assaults.

"You will not have him assassin!" shouted the samurai angrily as she clanged her weapon against Leo's katana. "I don't care how many ninja clans…"

"Ninja clans…have who?" stammered Leo in a confused voice but she wasn't listening, she continued to attempt to fight off Leo, who had pushed himself into a strictly defensive mode, in an attempt to avoid being carved to ribbons.

"You will not live to see another sunrise, so swears Tomoe Ame!" shouted the samurai but Leo managed to counter attempt after attempt with his own katana.

"Stop, listen to me, I…don't…want…to…fight…you!" exclaimed Leo deciding to switch tactics a little bit, using a pair of expert maneuvers to destroy his opponent's weapon. The force of which caused Tomoe Ame to stagger to the ground and fall down, as Leo stood over her, katanas still in his hands, a bit of an intimidating site for an unarmed samurai.

"Please, ninja, if you have any honor in you, you'll make my demise quick and relatively painless," said Tomoe Ame quietly.

"I'd like to think I'd have both honor and be a ninja," replied Leo as he placed both of his katana out of sight revealing that he had no weapons.

"Forgive me for presuming that you were one of them, I am ashamed," responded Tomoe Ame before she yelped as she realized her traveling companion, a small panda about the size of a human child, was left unattended. Thankfully he was safe, leaned right by the tree but also looking a bit worse for wear. "Lord Noriyuki!"

She watched as her charge managed to get to his feet.

"Just who are you people anyway?" questioned Leo, who was confused at this whole situation.

"He is Lord Noriyuki, head of the Geishu Clan," explained Tomoe Ame quickly. "I am his retainer, Tomoe Ame."

Something suddenly struck Leo.

"Wait, you wouldn't know a samurai named Miyamoto…" started Leo but a rumbling beneath the ground caused him to pause and instinctively draw his katanas, as last time this happened, Ultimate Drako popped out of nowhere.

Seconds later, a group of giant humanoid moles popped out of the ground and advanced on Leo, Tomoe Ame, and Lord Noriyuki. One raised its claws and attempted to cleave Leo in half but Leo managed to block it, before he leapt up and grabbed his attacker, before he was flung to the ground. He watched as Tomoe Ame managed to take out two of the attackers, who seemed to use brute force, rather than actual skill to gain the advantage.

"What the…" stated Leo but he was knocked backwards and one of the mole ninjas leapt into the air but Leo avoided the attack and the mole burrowed straight into the ground.

"The Mogura Ninja have come to abduct Lord Noriyuki, we must protect him at all costs," informed Tomoe Ame as she barely managed to fight off another assault, as the moles disappeared below ground before they popped up seconds later, to continue the fight and the two were just barely able to hold them off.

More fight and a hand appeared from underneath the earth, and grabbed Tomoe Ame by the ankle. She attempted to struggle and kick off her attacker, but another hand grabbed her other ankle and pulled her deep below the earth.

"Tomoe Ame!" shouted Lord Noriyuki in a horrified voice as he watched his retainer be abducted by the ninjas sent after him.

Leo watched in horror, elbowing one of the Mogura Ninja in the face before Tomoe Ame disappeared. The other Mogura Ninja burrowed into the ground as well and Leo got down on his hands and knees, attempting to dig into the ground to see if he could still reach them but it was all for nothing, as the Mogura Ninja looked to have disappeared.

At least for the moment, as seconds later, three of them sprung out of the ground and advanced on Lord Noriyuki who was paralyzed in fear. Leo made a movement to defend him but as it turned out he did not need to, as several arrows shot from out of nowhere.

Turning slightly, Leo spotted two figures riding on horse back and shooting more arrows, which caused the Mogura Ninja to turn and burrow deep back beneath the ground, to escape the attacks. Leo's eyes snapped out when he spotted exactly who the two figures riding up on horseback were, the samurai rabbit known as Miyamoto Usagi and his gluttonous, greedy, samurai rhino friend, Gennosuke.

The samurai rabbit climbed off the horse, a bit surprised to see Leo standing there.

"Ah, Leonardo, welcome," said Usagi. "Your appearance here is fortuitous as it is welcomed but it has ensured that Lord Noriyuki remained safe despite the recent complications that had arisen."

"So what exactly is going on here anyway?" questioned Leo.

"Bah, ninja treachery," remarked Gen before he blinked, realizing that Leo was there. "No offense, of course."

"Lord Noriyuki here has been targeted by assassination by a leader of a rival clan, Lord Hebi," elaborated Usagi. "Only Tomoe Ame's skill has saved him from being the victim of Hebi's schemes, but now with her captured, it leaves him open for an attack."

"So it was quite a stroke of luck that you showed up when you did, because I doubt I could have held off those Mogura Ninja much longer," remarked Leo.

"Yes, but we must hurry, Lord Hebi will not give up at a handful of failed attempts, it is off uttermost importance that we get Lord Noriyuki to safety," said Usagi. "The Shogun is expecting Lord Noriyuki in the capital city of Edo, we must act quickly to take him there and on the way there, Leonardo-san, you can explain exactly how you arrived here."

Leo nodded as he and Noriyuki joined Usagi and Gen on their journey, as Leo began to fill them in on what had happened that lead up to his arrival to Usagi's Homeworld.

"Drako was the architect behind this, along with the Daimyo's corrupt son," concluded Usagi. "I had hoped we had seen the last of those two fiends."

"Not only is my family in danger, but I think they might want revenge against the Daimyo," stated Leo before he stopped. "The Daimyo, if we can somehow open up a doorway to the Battle Nexus, the Daimyo can use his war staff to find them, bring them back, no matter where they are. But the problem is actually getting the ritual to the Nexus right. I know the chant, but my brothers helped me with the symbols."

"I know of the ritual," remarked Usagi calmly. "I'll do everything I can to help you find your missing family, once Lord Noriyuki is safe and sound under the Shogun's watchful eye."

In a heavily guarded fortress, a group of anthropomorphic cat ninjas appeared, with Tomoe Ame's arms bound behind her and at their mercy, as they bowed to await their master, who slithered in the shadows, before he turned slightly to address his ninja.

"The Geishu Lord should be kneeling before me right now, not this girl" hissed the master from the shadows.

"Master, please, there were unforeseen circumstances," replied one of the cat ninja. "This mysterious Kame ninja helped her fight off the Morgura Ninja and then just when they had Noriyuki in their grasps, an old thorn in your side managed to arrive…"

"Usagi," hissed the master viciously from the shadows.

"Show yourself Hebi!" demanded Tomoe Ame and seconds later, the master; Lord Hebi slithered out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a really large and extremely sinister snake, wearing a red and grey kimono. With fluid movement, he wrapped himself away Tomoe Ame.

"While it is quite an annoyance that Lord Noriyuki remains alive, you will prove to be very useful to me Tomoe Ame," hissed Hebi. "Noriyuki will fall to me, but I will also claim the head of Miyamoto Usagi."

Tomoe Ame struggled but Lord Hebi's grip around her tightened, preventing any movement whatsoever. The snake warlord turned his head every so slightly to address another one of his ninjas.

"Chizu!" called Lord Hebi and the clan leader of the cat ninjas stepped forward, before she bowed her head slightly towards Hebi.

"Yes, my lord?" inquired Chizu.

"You are to take your Neko Ninja Clan and deliver a message for me to Miyamoto Usagi," hissed Hebi venomously and Chizu inclined her head slightly in understanding. "And if this Kame meddles in my plans again, eliminate him."

"Of course, Lord Hebi," answered Chizu as she motioned for her Neko Ninjas to follow her.

Shortly thereafter, Gen, Usagi, Leo, and Lord Noriyuki found themselves on top of a rocky, uneven hill, overlooking a river below.

"So this is the way to Edo?" asked Leo, as he took in the terrain, it definitely wasn't the most convenient way to travel.

"It's a short cut," offered Gen which caused Usagi to sigh in slight annoyance.

"Your shortcuts will be the death of us, Gennosuke-San," said Usagi as he looked down apprehensively at the rickety hill before he turned towards a wooded area off to the distance. "We shall take the path through the woods. It may take a little more time, but it is a bit safer than that short cut of yours."

Gen just snorted before they turned towards the woods but stopped as several Neko Ninjas made their way out of the woods, as they circled the two samurais and one ninja turtle, weapons drawn and charged into the attack.

Quickly, Usagi managed to wipe out a trio of assassins, before knocking a fourth down with a vicious kick. Gen moved over and blocked an attempted spear stab with his sword, before he sliced the spear in half and knocked the Neko Ninja back with brute force. Leaping into the center, Leo swung his katana from side to side, slicing the weapons of his attackers causing them to back off.

Leaping up, Gen plunged his sword into the jagged rocks weakening it. Before the attackers had a chance to move, the rhino stomped down, causing the rocks to crumble and several of the ninjas to plummet to their doom.

Lord Noriyuki found himself advanced on by several of the Neko Ninja but Usagi swerved in front of them, managing to fight them off, with Leo joining him and Gen a few seconds later, as they barely managed to hold off their assassins

Meanwhile, Chizu turned to one of her aides off in the distance.

"Tell the ninja on the path to begin to pull back, tell the archers to get into position," order Chizu.

"There are too many of them," breathed Leo as he managed to knock another Neko Ninja backwards, before he flung him into a group, as Gen used his head as a blunt object to wipe out an attacker. "We need to find a way out."

Usagi sliced the chest of the Neko Ninja and turned slightly, as soon as he was sure his foe had fell to the ground.

"Well there is one way out," remarked Usagi as he looked down as Gen had wiped out another Neko Ninja from behind him. "But it's rather wet."

Gen's eyes widened as he realized what that implied as Leo tucked Noriyuki under his shoulder and braced himself, before he leapt towards the river below.

"Wait, you're joking," pleaded Gen as Usagi pulled him out of the way as a jet of arrows flew from the distance and them nudged Gen into jumping over the cliff. "I hate water!"

Gen landed in the water with a splash as Usagi just barely avoided being sliced and diced with the arrows, landing with a splash, as they swam off to avoid the barrage of arrows that flew overhead and landed in the water.

Several miles away, when the group felt they were out of distance, they climbed out of the water, to continue the journey to Edo.

"We must hurry, those were Neko Ninjas, they don't give up that easily," said Usagi as he looked over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed.

"Easy, you think that was…" scoffed Gen but an arrow whizzed through the air and in a blink of an eye, Leo spun around and sliced the arrow in half, causing it to harmlessly stick to the ground and Gen to blink, before he continued his sentence. "Easy."

Usagi made his way over, seeing a note tied to the side of the arrow. Quickly, the samurai rabbit unfolded the note, and spread it out, before he read it.

"Tomoe Ame is still alive!" exclaimed Usagi and a relieved look appeared on Noriyuki's face but Usagi's expression grew grave as he continued to read the letter. "But she's as the Lord Hebi's stronghold and to be executed tonight for crimes of treason against him."

"No, we must rescue her," said Noriyuki in a panicked voice.

"Lord Noriyuki, I may be a stranger in your land, but this sounds like a trap," inputted Leo.

"Leonardo-san is correct, your safety is of most importance," added Usagi. "If Tomoe Ame were here, she'd tell you the same thing."

"I do not care, I am the Lord of the Geishu clan, I am giving you an order," persisted Lord Noriyuki stubbornly. "If you don't come with me, I will free her myself."

Usagi sighed; he could most certainly not allow that before he turned to Leo.

"Leonardo-san, your family may very well be in grave danger, it would be best if you find them but…" said Usagi before he trailed off.

"No, I'll help you, after all, what are friends for?" asked Leo with a slight smile, as he readied himself.

After several more hours of travel, it was nearly nightfall, as Leo, Gen, Usagi, and Lord Noriyuki peered down a hill to a large campsite with hundred upon hundreds of Neko Ninjas, as lightning whipped across the sky. On the other side of the campsite was the fortress of Lord Hebi.

"We should have stayed in Edo, this is hopeless, there are way too many ninja out there for any samurai to fight his way though," remarked Gen before adding as an after thought. "Or even get paid enough to try."

"Maybe we don't have to fight," said Leo as he looked down, with Gen and Usagi looking at Leo like he had lost his mind. "If we can't beat the Neko Ninja clan, maybe we can join them."

Down in the Neko Ninja camp, two ninjas paused as they heard a slightly rustling within the bushes. Moving over to investigate, spears at the ready, a lizard shot out of the bushes.

Shrugging, the ninjas turned their backs slightly, allowing a pair of green feet to swing out of the bushes, cracking them each from behind and they were pulled into the pushes, before they were silently knocked unconscious.

Seconds later, Usagi and Leo made their way out of the bushes, completely disguised in Neko Ninja garb, with Leo waving his hand in front of his face, because of the stench.

"Whew, I guess doing laundry isn't a Neko Ninja skill," remarked Leo as Usagi looked at his attire, with a small amount of disgust.

"Hmm, ninja garb, I am cloaked in dishonor," muttered Usagi, before he turned to Leo. "We shall speak of this to no one."

Without another word, they crept off, watching as a group of Neko Ninja passed them, before they saw the prison wing of the building. In a blink of the eye, Usagi and Leo began to scale the walls.

Off to the side in the woods, Gen ate pork rinds around a fire, as Noriyuki sat quietly right across from Gen.

"So, you wouldn't be interested in a small wager on the outcome of today's adventure, hmm," remarked Gen casually, as he was always ready to make a quick few pieces of gold, even if it would have been at the expense of the clan leader he was to be protecting. Seconds later, slight tremor was felt from beneath the ground and Gen leaned forward. "Hey, did you hear…argh!"

The Morugura ninja sprung out from underneath the ground, grabbing Gen by the back of the throat and pulling the samurai deep beneath the ground, with a pained grunt.

"Gennosuke!" yelled Noriyuki in horror but seconds later, the Morugura Ninja got their hands on Noriyuki and pulled him deep below the ground.

Usagi entered the prison wing through a slightly opened window, with Leo following. Motioning for Leo to stay on the ceiling, Usagi dropped down, before he saw a guard step over threateningly.

"Halt, ninja, how dare you enter Lord Hebi's fortress?" demanded the guard as he took a few threatening steps towards Usagi.

"I am no ninja," replied Usagi as he pulled down his hood and stood his ground. "I am samurai!"

Fluidly, Usagi took the guard down, knocking him unconscious, before swiping the keys and moving over to the cell where Tomoe Ame was being held. Quickly, he unlocked the cell.

Tomoe Ame looked up and saw Usagi standing there

"Usagi!" exclaimed Tomoe Ame in an alarmed voice, her hands still bound behind her back. "Please tell me you did not bring Lord Noriyuki here."

"Relax, your lord is perfectly save," answered Usagi as Tomoe Ame shakily got to her feet. "Now, we need to get out of here, we don't have much time…"

"Less time you think, samurai," interrupted a vicious voice, and Usagi turned, before he was faced down by several guards, who pointed the sharp tips of their spears right at himself and Tomoe Ame. "Hands in the air, now!"

Usagi did as he was told as two of the guards checked him for any weapons, before removing them. In an instant, Usagi's hands were bound behind his back, before they viciously nudged the intruders off.

Moments later, Tomoe Ame and Usagi were brought before Lord Hebi. Already there were Lord Noriyuki and Gen.

"Lord Noriyuki," muttered Tomoe Ame in a horrified tone.

"Those with honor are so pathetic, so predictable, so easily manipulated," hissed Lord Hebi as the snake warlord slithered around Noriyuki.

"Lord Hebi, it's me you want!" cried Noriyuki. "Please spare the others."

"Silly child," remarked Hebi in a sinister tone as he slithered around Noriyuki with his fangs bared. "With you out of the way, I will be able to pillage your clan's land and steal all your treasures. It will be beautiful."

Just as these words escaped Hebi's mouth, Leo sprang down into action, leaping on Hebi's head before he knocked down the guards with a few quick assaults.

"You know, it's people like you that give us honorable reptiles a bad name," remarked Leo as he stepped backwards.

"The Kame," hissed Hebi angrily, baring his fangs as he lunged towards Leo, who managed to dodge his attacks. "You will pay for this affront."

As Hebi and Leo went face to face, Usagi took advantage of the distraction by elbowing the guard in the face, before slicing himself free with his weapon. Quickly, Usagi disarmed the guard, before he attacked another guard, before he sliced Tomoe Ame free.

"I hate to point this out but you have no arms," remarked Leo as Hebi lunged at him but Leo dodged out of the way. "This isn't going to be a fair fight."

In a flash, Hebi wrapped himself around Leo, before he flung the ninja halfway across the room. Leo fell to the ground with a thickening thud.

"Note to self, arms are overrated," dead panned Leo as Hebi circled him but Leo managed to pull himself up.

"Do not worry, Leonardo, you don't fight alone," remarked Usagi as he knocked an attacker backwards and Gen shouldered the attacker, before he pushed himself backwards, crushing his opponent underneath his weight, before expertly using it to slice himself free and join in the battle.

"Nor do I ronin," taunted Hebi and the doors slid open, as a group of Neko Ninjas entered the room to join the battle.

Tomoe Ame leapt up, taking a couple of the Neko Ninja out with kicks, while Usagi moved into battle, clashing his swords against one of the ninja, drawing him back.

Hebi circled Leo, baring his fangs as Leo looked over his shoulder, before he knocked one of the Neko Ninjas out, which gave Hebi a chance to spring into action, knocking Leo backwards and to the ground. Hebi opened his mouth but Leo swung his katana. The snake caught it in his mouth and flung the sword to the side, away from Leo, before he circled Leo, avoiding a decapitating shot with the sword.

Gen charged, knocking one of the attackers through an opened window. A couple of the Neko Ninjas snuck up behind him but Gen placed the wooden part of the spear on his nose, before he jolted himself backwards, knocking the Neko Ninjas down, allowing them to be finished off by Usagi.

Hebi went for Leo but Leo used his sword to slash at the roof of the mouth. His attacker gave a painful hiss, but would not relent and continued to move in for the attack. Hebi stalked Leo and Leo just managed to barely keep a step away of his powerful enemy.

Tomoe Ame was knocked backwards by one of her adversaries. The ninja attempted to stab her in the throat, but the samurai just barely managed to hold back. Seeing a helpless Noriyuki who was being advanced on by a couple of Neko Ninjas, Tomoe Ame managed to kick her attacker off. He flew across the room right into his fellow Neko Ninjas.

Hebi sprung at Leo. The warrior turtle was knocked backwards and attempted to use his other katana to defend himself but Hebi yanked the weapon out of his mouth, before he attempted to bite down on Leo's head, who barely managed to block the snake's powerful jaws with his hands.

"Nice breath," muttered Leo as he found his grip weakening, but seconds later, Noriyuki, with one of Leo's katanas in hand, stood face to face with Hebi. The katana was tucked underneath the chin of Hebi, ready to slit his throat.

"What?" demanded Hebi as he was surprised at the young Geishu lord's gall.

"I will not allow you to harm them, Hebi," declared Noriyuki in a defiant voice. "Look around yourself villain, you are defeated."

Despite the fact that his Neko Ninjas and guards had been knocked unconscious, Hebi just answered Noriyuki's claims of his defeat with a high cold laugh.

"You think me defeated," taunted Hebi. "Even if you do find a way out of my fortress, you will then meet thousands of my ninja. I will decide who is defeated, Noriyuki."

Just then, a sound of approaching horses caused Noriyuki to get a triumphant look on his face.

"Do you hear that Hebi?" asked Noriyuki. "It looks as if the Shogun would like a word with you."

Hebi slithered and looked outside the window, his eyes bugging out in absolute horror.

"The Shogun's army," hissed Hebi in an irritated voice. "No, no, NO!"

Hebi turned towards Noriyuki with a murderous look in his eyes.

"The tables have been turned Noriyuki, but you will not be leaving this place alive!" hissed Hebi as he charged him but Leo caught Hebi in the face with his foot. The snake flew halfway across the room and decided it would be best to leave.

Leo made his way across the room to give chase but was halted by Usagi.

"Allow him go Leonardo-san," said Usagi calmly. "With the Shogun's army out there,

"Lord Noriyuki, thank goodness you're safe, I thought I'd never see you again," said Tomoe Ame in a relieved voice.

"Well I would have been destroyed if it had not been for Usagi, Gen, and Leonardo," replied Noriyuki. "Without them the Geishu clan would have been destroyed, I am truly in their debt."

The scene in the room was quiet for a few seconds until Gen spoke up.

"Bah, that's enough adventure for me for one day," grumbled Gen as he walked off. "I need food."

"And now Leonardo, it is now the matter of your predicament," said Usagi.

Sometime later, Usagi stood before a tree, with the symbols to open the portal to the Battle Nexus drawn upon it. Clasping his hands together, Usagi began the chant and water appeared from a nearby pond, swirling up, before forming the ever present portal, leading to the Battle Nexus.

Leo moved towards the portal and was a bit surprised that Usagi stepped forward to fall him.

"Usagi, I can't trouble…" started Leo but Usagi waved off his concerned.

"It's no trouble at all Leonardo, especially after all the help you offered me today," said Usagi. "After all, that's what friends are for."

With that, the samurai rabbit and the ninja turtle stepped through the portal, moving from Usagi's Homeworld right into the Battle Nexus to meet up with the Daimyo.


	36. Chapter 36: The Real World Part II

**Chapter Thirty Six: The Real World Part II:**

In the Battle Nexus, a portal opened and seconds later Leo and Usagi exited, before they walked straight into the Battle Nexus area, looking around. As far as the Battle Nexus time went, it appeared to be autumn.

"Wow," muttered Leo as he looked around, even if he had visited it once before, the Battle Nexus still looked amazing and well worth a quick look around. It was a shame Leo's family was in a trouble, so he could take a closer

"Indeed, I have made this journey many, many times," remarked Usagi as the samurai rabbit looked around at the scenery as they approached the Daimyo's palace. "Despite that, I can never seem to fully appreciate the splendor of this realm."

Leo stopped short as he looked at the Daimyo's palace, a peculiar thought striking the terrapin warrior.

"Yes, but shouldn't there be guards outside of the palace?" wondered Leo and Usagi looked around, a peculiar look on his face.

"Hmm, extremely interesting, we best get inside and find out," replied Usagi and the two warriors walked inside the Daimyo's palace, surprisingly not meeting one guard whatsoever as they entered the palace.

As they entered the Daimyo's throne room, the Daimyo sat on the chair, looking older than ever, his hair unkempt and grown long, with a lingering smell that made it rather obvious that the ruler of the Battle Nexus had not bathed for week, not to mention bags underneath his eyes, and also the Daimyo appeared to have been in a depressed state of mind. Floating by his side was the mystical figure who was the ruler of the Battle Nexus, the Gyoiji and off to his side was the Daimyo's most powerful possession, his war staff.

"So dark, no use," muttered the Daimyo weakly, as it appeared he had given up on life and the Gyoiji's eyes met the duo that had entered the room.

"Sire, look, it's Miyamoto Usagi," remarked the Gyoiji but the Daimyo offered not one sign of recognition towards the samurai rabbit. "Surely you remember Usagi and look he has brought with him Leonardo, Hamato Splinter's pupil."

The Daimyo just sat on his chair, unblinking, unmoving, remaining in his depressed state as Leo took a few tentative steps forward, before he bowed slightly at his presence.

"Daimyo, I come here to beg of your help," started Leo in an uneasy voice. "My family, my brothers and my father, Master Splinter, are in grave danger, having been transported, where I don't know."

Leo took a deep breath, wondering exactly if he should elaborate on who exactly was the architect behind the incident that caused Leo to be separated by his family.

"Go on Leonardo, tell the Daimyo everything," encouraged the Gyoiji.

"It was Drako," dead panned Leo pausing, before dropping the biggest bombshell on the Daimyo. "And your son."

The Daimyo remained unmoving, as if he did not hear what Leo had said and his silence was more unnerving than anything else.

"They're still alive, merged together somehow into a horrible powerful entity, almost some kind of Ultimate Drako and they were responsible for what happened to my family," continued Leo. "So, I ask you, please, to help me, to use your war staff to retrieve my family, I'll forever be in your debt."

"You would be in my debt, Leonardo?" asked the Daimyo quietly, after a few seconds silence. "You would be in my service. What could you do for me?"

Leo opened his mouth but the Daimyo was not about to give him a chance to respond.

"Would you bring back my son?" demanded the Daimyo, his anger rising by the moment. "My son that you took from me along with your vile brothers, and your rat master. Could you do that for me?"

Daimyo rose to his feet, a very malignant look in his eyes that was very out of character for the benevolent ruler of the Battle Nexus.

"Oh yes, I will help you, I will help you learn the meaning of loss, the meaning of suffering, as you rot in my dungeon," declared the Daimyo as he rose to his feet, before he clapped his hands and several armored guards entered the room. "Guards, seize them, toss them in the dungeons."

The guards circled Leo and Usagi, and moved in for the attack but the two warriors took a rather defense stance, just barely managing to keep the attackers backed off to avoid being injured. Despite their efforts, the guards did not relent and kept coming at their adversaries.

"When I came here, the last thing I wanted was a fight," grunted Leo as he used his katana to slice the weapon of one of his attackers before he threw him to the side.

"Yes, and I'd rather not harm these fine warriors," replied Usagi as he blocked a swing from the axe with his weapon.

"We need to get out of here, regroup," suggested Leo as he ducked a near decapitation and the battle axe that the guard carried was lodged in the wall. With his opponent distracted Leo managed to kick him away before dodging more attacks.

"You lead, I shall follow," answered Usagi and sure enough Leo leapt up over the attackers, with Usagi copying his movements. Springing up on the handle of the battle axe, Leo catapulted himself through an opened window, with Usagi following closely behind.

"Stop them, do not allow them to escape!" commanded the Daimyo angrily, before he sank back onto his throne, in the depressive state that he was in when they had arrived, coming to the point of weeping.

The guards looked out the window, seeing no sign of either the ninja turtle or the samurai rabbit. Jagged rocks and a roaring river was the only thing below.

"No one could have survived a fall from that height," remarked one of the guards, as he looked down.

"We must make sure of it, come on," retorted a second guard and the Daimyo's guards made their way off.

Meanwhile, hanging from a part of the Daimyo's palace, barely clinging onto the ledge of another opened window, slightly out of view, was Leo, with Usagi just managing to grab hold of his leg. Peaking into the window, Leo verified that the coast was clear, before he pulled himself in. With a hand from Leo, Usagi made his way in, as the two stuck to the shadows, as they crept towards a partially opened door and then to a hallway.

"I think all this sneaking around with you is turning me more ninja, than samurai, Leonardo-san," whispered Usagi but Leo held his hand up to silence his friend, before he placed his ear towards the door to listen for activity in the hallway.

"C'mon, the coast is clear," muttered Leo, as they slipped into the hallway, into another room as a pair of guards walked past. "I don't get why the Daimyo attempted to lock up."

"Yes, that matter is most peculiar Leonardo," agreed Usagi. "It is almost like the Daimyo's under some sort of spell."

Leo nodded, that wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility and he wished that Harry was here, he would have been able to tell for sure but his youngest brother was off facing whatever dangers and with each second, Leo felt he was failing his family more and more.

"We need the war staff," said Leo desperately. "If there is only a way to get inside…"

Leo trailed off as he saw two guards dressed in blue hooded robes walking towards the room that they hid inside

"Another deceptive plan, Leonardo-san?" inquired Usagi, quietly and Leo nodded.

"Take the guard on the left, I'll take the one on the right, now," muttered Leo and they pulled the guards inside.

A couple of small thumps could be heard from inside the room, with the guards falling to the ground. Seconds later, Leo and Usagi walked from the room, disguised in the blue hooded robes and quickened their strides as they moved closer, meeting no guards until they reached the throne room, as two guards stepped forward.

"Halt, who goes there?" demanded one of the guards.

"We've come to relieve you," replied Leo calmly.

"But our shift's not up yet," argued the guard, but Leo grabbed the guard's weapon.

"It is now," said Leo as he expertly and flawlessly flung the guard over onto his back, knocking him unconscious as Usagi leapt up and wiped out the second guard, before they moved forward towards the Daimyo whose eyes looked vacant, as if he did not realize that he once again had visitors in his throne room.

As they approached the war staff, Leo reached forward to grab it before the Daimyo had realized their presence but the sudden appearance of the Gyoiji caused Leo to pause. He was so close.

"Gyoiji, I don't want to hurt you but I need the war staff…" started Leo.

"I wish to help you," interrupted the Gyoiji calmly as he looked at Leo and Usagi. "Quickly, take the war staff and follow me to the next room."

In a flash, Leo took the war staff with the Daimyo sitting there, the fact that he had not reacted seem very unnerving for some reason. Following the Gyoiji into the next room, Leo held the war staff steadily.

"I have witnessed the malaise that has befallen my master and something must be done, and I will help you do it," said the Gyoiji as he opened a window with his mystical paddle. "Concentrate on your missing father, the staff will do the rest."

"Master Splinter, where are you?" thought Leo as the window opened to reveal a beaten and rather battered Master Splinter chained up in the Dungeon and Leo's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh my, that is the dungeon in this very palace!" exclaimed the Gyoiji. "Now, Leonardo use the staff, call your father to you, you must concentrate."

"Master Splinter, Master Splinter!" thought Leo frantically and for a few seconds Master Splinter's body began to phase, fading out of reality as Leo could feel his master very nearly inching towards him but in an instant, Leo felt an unknown force pulling his sensei away from him.

"Very odd, perhaps you would ever better luck summoning one of your brothers," suggested the Gyoiji waving his paddle as the Super Turtles world appeared and Leo screwed his eyes shut, attempting to bring Mikey back home.

"_Wow, most deadly enemy that sounds wicked, can I come?" asked Mikey but in an instant, he began to phase in and out of reality. "Wait, I guess I'm in flux, this is it, I guess I'm going home, bye everyone, see you later, it's been a pleasure, I'm going, any second not, I'll be gone."_

_The phasing stopped and Mikey stood there, sheepishly as the Super Turtles looked at him, in irritation. _

"_Guess I'm staying," amended Mikey sheepishly._

Much like Master Splinter, Leo nearly pulled Mikey out but he was pulled away at him just when he had a firm grip.

"Leonardo, you need to concentrate harder, let's try your luck once again," lectured the Gyoiji, waving his paddle once again to reveal Raph's inter-dimensional trip.

_Just after he was blasted from the catwalk, Raph's body began to phase in and out, slowly pulling away from that reality towards the Battle Nexus. _

The shock of seeing his brother fall broke Leo's concentration slightly enough, to allow the phasing to break, but save Raph from getting splattered across the factory ground.

"No, perhaps another," suggested the Daimyo. "Concentrate as hard as you can."

The scene shifted once again into the future Shredder ruled earth and Leo caught sight of Don, before he screwed his eyes shut, concentrating with every fiber of will power he could muster.

_Mikey leapt down into the manhole and Don followed him closely behind before he paused as he began to phase in and out slightly. He stood there, in confusion, it was almost like something was trying to pull him somewhere but the phasing ceased. _

The connection broke once again and Leo stood their breathing hard, rather frustrated at his lack of progress in retrieving his family.

"Leonardo you must concentrate hard, at least save one of them," prompted the Daimyo as the scene shifted right towards the alternate world that Harry was sent to.

Leo concentrated, if he could only bring Harry back, he might be able to help him work on a way to save the others yet because of his vast knowledge of magic.

_Harry was taken aback, as his body appeared to be fading in and out of reality. He felt as if something was pulling him away from this world for the briefest second, as his body looked all fuzzy and nearly indistinguishable but seconds later, Harry became more solid, almost as if what was pulling him away was abruptly ripped away from him. _

Leo sighed in absolutely frustration, despite his best efforts, despite his most intense concentration, he was unable to retrieve Harry.

"I failed again, I don't get it, I don't get it," lamented Leo in a depressed voice. "I was so close, I could feel them, all of them, I just don't understand."

"I'm certain it is not your fault, Leonardo," suggested Usagi as the Gyoiji took the war staff from Leo.

"Yes, it is not, someone very powerful is blocking your attempts and enjoying it very much," declared the Gyoiji, with a slightly sinister smile appearing on the mystical beings face.

"Huh?" asked Leo in confusion, this entire matter becoming more and more confusing by the moment.

"And enjoying it very much," continued the Gyoiji with the smile widening before his voice shifted to a very unwelcome and quite familiar one. "Relishing in your pain and frustration, taking complete pleasure from your absolute sinister."

The Gyoiji reared its head back in cold, high laughter, as cracks began to appear in its body before the body shattered like glass. The pieces of the Gyoiji vanished into thin air and the merged entity known as Ultimate Drako appeared in its place, wielding the time sceptre in one hand and war staff in the other.

"We have enjoyed watching you suffer Leonardo as we have enjoyed watching your rat master suffer in the dungeons," taunted Ultimate Drako in unison. "And bringing Usagi here was an extra gift to us, he will rue the day he returned to my Battle Nexus!"

"The Battle Nexus will never be yours villain!" cried Usagi as the samurai leapt up but Ultimate Drako swatted him off like a simple insect. Leo attempted an attempt from the side, but he was also blocked from the attack.

Several more attacks were blocked by Ultimate Drako, no matter what neither Leo nor Usagi could touch the attacker. Finally, Ultimate Drako touched both the war staff and time sceptre together, creating a very powerful magical field that immobilized both warriors.

"Fools, I wield both the Daimyo's war staff and Lord Simultaneous's time sceptre!" shouted Ultimate Drako. "I am a god!"

With little effort, Ultimate Drako transported Usagi and Leo to a realm that only could be called "The Battle Nexus of the Damned".

"Where has that fiend sent us?" demanded Usagi as his consciousness slowly returned to him as he looked at the rocky barren fields with stone statues surrounding him.

"I don't know, but wherever is, it can't be good," replied Leo in an uneasy tone and a swirl of white light appeared, illuminating the statues.

Slowly the statues came to life, revealing giant demonic warriors as they moved forward and moved into the attack against Leo and Usagi. Leo just barely managed to block the attack of one of his attackers, before he kicked him back. Usagi ducked a vicious swing and sliced his katana at the chest of the attacker, staggering him backwards.

"Usagi, I'm sorry that I got you in this mess," apologized Leo as he just barely managed to keep up with his attackers, who had demonic strength, amplified many times the amounts of the normal warrior.

"No do not say such a thing, I stand beside you, no matter what happens," replied Usagi as he leapt up and knocked an attacker backwards but the upcoming onslaught was too much as a simple punch wiped Usagi out, causing the samurai to fall to the ground.

"No!" shouted Leo as Usagi seemed unmoving, but he had his own problems as his attackers kept coming, and Leo could not stop, he had to keep fighting, even if the fight was hopeless, he would fight to the very last breath.

Ultimate Drako watched the battle from a vacant field, just outside of the main Battle Nexus arena as Leo continued to struggle against his inhuman opponents.

"Soon, Leonardo will be destroyed!" cheered Ultimate Drako as the battle raged on. "Glorious, glorious!"

The Daimyo waved the time sceptre and seconds later, the Daimyo rose out of the ground, sitting on the same seat that he was left in the throne room, dismally unaware of the surroundings around him.

"Now time to finish off the Daimyo, his reign as at an end, he shall suffer horribly as he perishes!" shouted Ultimate Drako

Behind Ultimate Drako, the battered form of Master Splinter appeared, still unconscious but the full attention of Ultimate Drako was in fact on the Daimyo.

"First the Daimyo will perish and then the rat," added Ultimate Drako.

Daimyo weakly looked up at the entity, slight recognition in his eyes.

"My son, did I hear my son?" muttered the Daimyo weakly and the face of the Ultimate Ninja stopped, hesitation evident on that part of the entity.

"Father?" questioned the Ultimate Ninja, but his mere statement appeared to disgust the Drako half to no end.

"Is that sentiment I hear in your voice?" demanded Drako.

"He looks so frail, weak, unable to harm anything," said the Ultimate Ninja.

"Do not soften on me," ordered Drako. "He must be destroyed."

Little did the two know that Master Splinter's eyes weakly opened, with the rat master beginning to become aware of the surroundings around him.

"Must he?" questioned Ultimate Ninja. "I mean we have all want. We have power, the war staff everything. He is old, and weak, there is no need for him to die, we can allow him to live, in exile."

"We haven't come this far to just simply let the Daimyo live, he must suffer, he must pay, all must pay, NOW!" shouted Drako as he raised the war staff, with slight resistance from the Ultimate Ninja half that he quickly overcame, to deliver the final, crushing blow to the Daimyo.

"NO!" shouted Master Splinter as he leapt up in the blink of an eye, before he grabbed onto the war staff and stared down his foe with intensity in his eyes. "You shall not harm you, no more destruction, no more!"

Splinter hung onto the war staff as Ultimate Drako lifted the rat off the ground, to stare him in the eyes.

"Obstinate rodent, have you so soon forgotten who is master of this race?" demanded Ultimate Drako in unison but Splinter screwed up his eyes in concentration. "You do not have the power, you can't simply…"

They were caught off when it was evident that the war staff had been activated by Master Splinter.

"What, he has activated the war staff?" thundered Ultimate Drako as Splinter hung on with the staff glowing brighter. "NO!"

"My sons, my sons," concentrated Master Splinter hard, in an attempt to draw them back to whatever realms that had been sent through, this was his last chance, he had to put everything into his attempt to retrieve his sons.

_Mikey began to phase out. _

"_Oh no, not now," said Mikey before he turned to the Sliver. "Quick, how do you stop the Nullificator."_

"_Why would I design a way to stop it?" demanded the Sliver. "It is justice, it is rule."_

"_I'll stop it, I can fly up quickly where it won't hurt anyone," replied Gravi-Turtle as the Nullificator ticked down with eighteen seconds left to go. _

"_No, it will take you with you, there has to be another way," said Griddex. _

"_If the Sliver said that he modified it to work outside the tower, maybe it can be fixed to work inside the tower," suggested Mikey and Shellectro quickly made his way over and placed his hands on it, with ten seconds left to go._

"_There it's reprogrammed electronically to work in that matter, but we need to get out of here," said Shellectro as the time ticked to eight seconds, seven seconds but Mikey had almost faded completely out. _

"_I'm already almost there, if they right a comic about this, make sure they call me the Turtle Titan!" yelled Mikey as his voice and body faded out. _

"Now is the time to come back, my sons," thought Splinter as he felt the pull getting stronger.

_Raph, in typical Raph-fashion, gave chase, weapons at the ready but he was frozen in his tracks when he realized he was beginning to phase out again. His body began to get fainter and fainter with each passing second. As it turned out, Raph did not have all that much time to contemplate why this was happening as he disappeared in a blink of an eye from the alternative universe. _

"My sons, you are needed, come forth," concentrated Splinter, his eyes shut, his mind turned off to everything but retrieving his son.

"_It's done," concluded Don as he looked around, at the depressing scene before him, realizing that he was the only one left, they had all given there lives and he just barely managed to stop the Shredder, but it was too late before it did. _

_Seconds later, Don watched as his body began to phase out, it had pulled at him, it was stronger than what happened before and Don felt himself being pulled to a location unknown to him. However, he reasoned that wherever it was, it was better than this nightmarish world. _

"Come to me my sons," thought Master Splinter.

"_Several years of work, ruined," said Nega-Harry. "You've made an enemy for life, hero, but now we finish what we started."_

_Harry stepped forward but then his body began to phase and he looked off at his negative counterpart. _

"_Looks like someone wants me away from here," remarked Harry._

"_No, you won't leave, this isn't over," said Nega-Harry as he rushed forward as his counterpart began to get fainter before he disappeared into thin air, leaving Nega-Harry with his fingers clasping at empty air. _

"You are needed, now more than ever, my sons, my sons, my sons," chanted Master Splinter mentally and a doorway in time and space, and Mikey, Raph, Don, and Harry flew out, managing to barely brace their selves, landing on their feet.

"Harry, Mikey, Raph, you're young and alive," said Don cheerfully. "And Mikey, you have both arms."

"Good to see you too, I think," remarked Mikey in an uneasy voice.

"What have you done rat?" demanded Ultimate Drako as he swung the war staff, ramming Master Splinter off the ground. The hybrid villain slammed Splinter off the ground again and again, but he clung onto the war staff. "What have you done? Let go!"

"We can continue this touching reunion later, Master Splinter's in trouble," said Harry as stepped forward with the others taking notice of Splinter being battered by Ultimate Drako.

"You filthy disgusting vermin, let go!" shouted Ultimate Drako. Let…"

At that moment, Raph, Mikey, Don, and Harry had sprung at Ultimate Drako at the same time, causing him to both drop Master Splinter and sent both magical artifacts out of his grasps.

"What, my war staff, my time sceptre!" shouted Ultimate Drako angrily as he found himself unable to get to his feet. "No, no, no!"

The villain knocked all four brothers backwards, causing them to fly before he pulled himself to his feet and made a movement for the time sceptre, fully intending to send them all to a place where they would never be able to return.

"We need to keep the time sceptre away from him at all costs!" shouted Don and Harry nodded, before he swerved in front of Ultimate Drako, before he kicked the sceptre out of his reach.

Ultimate Drako looked around, seeing that Raph and Mikey having grabbed the time sceptre and Master Splinter with the war staff in his hands.

"Fools, you can't possibly think you can beat us," taunted Ultimate Drako. "You do not have the power to use the war staff or the time sceptre."

"Perhaps not, but we will never allow you to get their hands on them again," retorted Master Splinter. "I swear it I…"

Master Splinter stopped as a jet of red light blasted out of the time sceptre and also, a jet of blue light blasted from the time sceptre. The lights intertwined in the air above them, resembling a spider web.

"What sorcery is this?" demanded Ultimate Drako as the lights began to glow brighter as Raph and Mikey lifted off the ground with the time sceptre, with Master Splinter doing so as well.

"Master Splinter what is this?" asked Mikey in a confused voice as they were levitated in the air, the lights forming a dome of sorts over Ultimate Drako.

"I don't know, I…" started Master Splinter. "Hold on my sons, hold on with your lives."

Back in the Battle Nexus of the Damned, Usagi had managed to shake off his earlier assault and rejoined Leo in the fight, as the demonic warriors would not give up.

"They just keep coming," grunted Leo as he nearly was knocked backwards but he managed to block an attempt from getting his smashed in.

"Then we will just keep fighting," replied Usagi but a flash of blue light appeared.

The next thing they knew, they were outside the Daimyo's palace.

"We're back," remarked Leo dully.

"This should not be possible!" demanded Ultimate Drako as the scene faded right inside the Daimyo's face with the three Turtles, Master Splinter, the Daimyo, and Ultimate Drako all back inside. A black tar like substance shot out of the web of magical energy, intertwining with Ultimate Drako. "You should not have the power!"

Both parts of Ultimate Drako screamed in agony as they were ripped apart, before they were back to separate entities.

"I don't understand, how could this happened?" demanded Drako weakly as he watched his body slowly turn to stone. "No!"

Drako was silenced when he had completely turned to stone as the Ultimate Ninja turned towards his weary father as he also began to turn to stone.

"Father forgive me," begged the Ultimate Ninja. "I am…"

Also, the Ultimate Ninja turned to stone and both figures crumbled into dust, before the time sceptre and war staff gently let Mikey, Raph, and Master Splinter down as Harry and Don made their way inside to join them.

"My son, did I hear my son?" asked the Daimyo weakly before he suddenly snapped out of his trance, and looked around to the dust on the floor. "What is going on here?"

"Master Splinter, guys, you'll alright, you're all okay," remarked Leo in a relieved voice as he entered the palace.

Everyone seemed relieved that everything had worked out well, with Ultimate Drako finally defeated and the family reunited.

"Uh Master Splinter, what happened, how did we do that?" inquired Mikey.

"I truly do not know," replied Master Splinter.

Harry opened his mouth to explain about emotionally charged accident magic but a flash of blue light stopped him roughly in his tracks as Lord Simultaneous appeared out of nowhere.

"It's quite simple really," remarked Simultaneous casually as he waved his hand and the time sceptre floated to him, before he expertly caught it. "It's like I told your sons when I met them the last time, this time sceptre has a mind of its own. It saw the situation, weighed good against evil and set everything to right, with a little help of the war staff."

Simultaneous floated down, looking at the dust with a disapproving cluck of his tongue.

"No one ever learns that time travel is not a toy," lectured Simultaneous. "I get sick and tired of cleaning up after megalomaniacs and mad men."

"No my, son, no," sobbed the Daimyo and Simultaneous raised his eyebrows before turning to the Turtles, Harry, Usagi, and Master Splinter.

"Let me to show you, the true and good powers of the time sceptre," remarked Simultaneous. "Controlled by the right hands."

Effortlessly, Simultaneous waved the time sceptre and a small jet of blue light hit the dust, before an eight year version of the Ultimate Ninja grew out of the dust.

"Father, oh I had the most horrible nightmare, oh father!" cried the Daimyo's son as he rushed over to his father, before leaping on his lap.

"My son, oh my son," said the Daimyo in a relieved voice as he saw that his son was okay and he patted him on the head, comforting him "Do not cry, I too had a most horrible nightmare, but it's going to be alright, it's all going to be all right."

Simultaneous watched father and son reunited, before he turned his attention to the group.

"And now it is high time I send you all back to where you belong," added Simultaneous. "You've given me a heading flitting all over time and creation like that."

"Usagi, I thank you for everything," replied Leo.

"Do not mention it Leonardo," said Usagi, graciously waving off Leo's thanks.

"Until we meet again, Usagi-san, farewell," added Master Splinter, gently setting the war staff down and a flash of light engulfed the group, sending Usagi back to his home world and the Turtles, Harry, and Master Splinter back to the lair.

They dropped down into the lair as Klunk meowed. In the cat's perspective, they had only been gone for thirty seconds.

"We're back, I thought I'd never see this place again," remarked Leo.

"Yes, my sons, it is good to be home," answered Master Splinter.


	37. Chapter 37: Potter versus Potter

**Chapter Thirty Seven: Potter Versus Potter**

After a rather eventful break, Harry was ready to return to Hogwarts to complete his sixth year. Unfortunately for Harry, the day before he was due back, he found himself face to face with yet another assassin.

In Harry's opinion, this was getting rather tiresome but he had to fight, honor dictated it.

Harry expertly blocked a sword with his weapon. Another attempted jab but Harry dodged and blocked, before his assassin, a lanky man with a goatee and Mohawk, continued on the attack. He attempted to stab Harry in the chest, but Harry dodged and the attackers sword was stuck in the wall. Instead of removing his weapon, the attacker just withdrew a staff and spun it before he whacked Harry with it, causing the Boy-Who-Lived to stagger backwards.

"Just who are you anyway?" demanded Harry dodging before he was smacked with the staff once again.

"Child, I'm the master of all weapons," remarked the assassin as he swung his staff at Harry once again. "Swords, nunchucks, staffs, shuriken, and even my bare hands."

Harry snapped the staff viciously, but the attacker just clicked sides of each piece of staff and a sickle withdrew from each piece. The attacker moved forward gracefully but Harry blocked it. Another block but a third swung found its mark and Harry's weapon flew to the side. He did not dare take his eyes off of his opponent, rather he caught his opponent with a kick to the face. Another kick as blocked by his opponent's bare hand and the mercenary twisted Harry's foot but Harry managed to crack the mercenary in the face with his free foot to cause his attacker to stagger backwards.

The mercenary only staggered back a few inches but he whipped a Kusari-Gama chain out his sleeve and in a blink of an eye, the chain wrapped around Harry. With a yank, the mercenary attempted to stab Harry with the sickle end but Harry managed to arch his back, just barely avoiding being injured and then with a burst of wandless magic, sliced the chain.

The assassin was not going to give up, he flung several shuriken at Harry who managed to duck and dodge then, causing them to stick in the wall behind him but the attacker leapt behind him and caught Harry right in the face with a vicious uppercut punch. Harry dropped to one knee, this guy sure knew how to swing a punch. Another punch Harry saw coming before it connected with his face and he managed to block it, before he twisted the wrist. The mercenary recoiled with a pained grunt and Harry flipped him over by the arm. With a leap, Harry leapt up but the mercenary avoided contact before he threw a dagger at Harry. The dagger hit his arm and caused Harry momentarily pain, before the mercenary pulled out another sword but Harry quickly summoned his weapon and blocked the attack. The mercenary steadied himself and continued the attack, but Harry was done playing games, he grabbed the mercenary and threw him halfway across the tunnel. His opponent just barely avoided cracking his skull on a sewage pipe and leapt in front of his opponent.

"Enough, who are you working for?" demanded Harry but the mercenary shoved Harry backwards before throwing a handful of powder on the ground which exploded, blocking Harry's vision allowing the mercenary to get back on the attack with a vicious blow that sent Harry flying backwards to the ground.

"I expected a challenge," taunted the mercenary as he withdrew large sword from behind him and aimed it at Harry's head but he found himself stopped right before he was allowed to drill Harry.

"No," hissed the voice in the assassin's ear. "You have proven yourself as worthy and the fifteen minutes are up."

Harry tossed a shuriken at his distracted attacker but the attacker disappeared. The shuriken splashed onto the water below as Harry had no sign that the attacker was even there, except for the bumps and bruises on his body.

The assassin landed with a thud in the one of the many chambers of Salazar Tower. The fortress was cloaked from the rest of the world, just outside of Hogsmeade peak, unless Lord Voldemort had a reason for it to be seen. The only way one could see the tower was to have the dark mark.

Voldemort watched as the assassin looked up at him with contempt in his eyes and angrily flung shuriken at Voldemort. With a lazy flick of his wand, the Dark Lord dissolved the weapons before they even came close to reaching them.

"You have done sufficient," hissed Voldemort. "It would serve you well not to try and attack me in the future, you are being paid for these services, after all."

"I don't get it," said the assassin. "You said me after that brat for fifteen minutes then you use your hocus pocus to pull me back. I could have easily finished him off given a few more minutes."

"Do not flatter yourself assassin," replied Voldemort calmly. "If I had not pulled you back here, Harry Potter would have destroyed you and you would have been nothing but a bloody smear upon a sewer wall."

"Look, I've trained in every weapon imaginable for over thirty years, no sixteen year old kid can kill me," argued the assassin.

"He is more than a mere child," countered Voldemort. "His destruction will come when the time is right but right now your presence is more bothersome than it is productive."

Voldemort shot a silvery snake from his wand and seconds later, two surly Death Eaters entered the room, before they placed their wands on the assassin.

"Place him with the others, until I can proceed with phase three," ordered Voldemort softly.

"Wait, what about my payment?" asked the assassin.

"Don't worry, you'll get everything that you deserve," replied Voldemort coldly as the Death Eaters dragged off the assassin to place him with the others than had attacked Harry Potter over recent months.

"My Lord, if I can be so bold if to inquire about your plan," interjected Dolohov.

"Wormtail, I am expecting a package shortly, go downstairs and meet those," replied Voldemort and Wormtail scurried off, hiding the look of contempt he held for the half blood. He dreamed of a day where he would be the Dark Lord, it was all a matter of timing.

When he was certain that Wormtail had departed, Voldemort turned to Dolohov and nodded his head slightly.

"Sending all these Muggle assassins after Harry Potter, it does seem frivolous, surely your time would be better sent in securing the Ministry of Magic," remarked Dolohov in a slightly uneasy voice.

"To anything but a well developed mind, all these assassin attacks does seem to be rather frivolous but it is part of a more intricate plan than you could ever fathom, Dolohov," explained Voldemort. "I have learned much about Harry Potter over the past several years. We are equal matches on many areas, as much as it pains me to admit it but he is blinded by foolish perceptions like love and the desire to protect those close to him. He is skilled in but one area that I sadly am not. Potter knows this and would exploit even the smallest weakness. He was sorted into Slytherin for a reason, after all."

Dolohov could have sworn that he heard a twinge of pride in his master's voice, small yes, nearly nonexistent but it was there, but Dolohov didn't have the courage to ask his master about the matter.

"Thanks to the scrolls, this weakness will soon be nonexistent," added Voldemort. "Phase two is just about completed, just one final assassin and then phase three, before I move onto the final phase of this plan, which will spell the end of Harry Potter and put Wizarding Britain under my rule."

"I look forward to watching this plan unfold then, my lord," answered Dolohov with a bow, even though deep down he wished he had more details of the Dark Lord's rather vague plan.

Just then, a knock echoed from outside the Dark Lord's chambers.

"Master, they're here," informed Wormtail from outside.

"Well enter and send them in Wormtail," answered Voldemort calmly and sure enough, a group of four Death Eaters, carrying a rather large crate entered the chambers and lugged it towards Voldemort.

"My lord, we found one of their strong holds, it was deep within the Amazon, it doesn't appear that anyone has been there in thousands of years," replied one of the Death Eaters as they set the crate down and Voldemort walked towards it and opened the crate, allowing a bright green glow to escape, before he looked down.

"Impressive," muttered Voldemort as he looked over the large boulder size chunks of Y'liantian power crystals. One of them looked to be powerful enough to transfer every once of magic out of his Death Eaters and into him, leaving them nothing but useless shells but that was not what Voldemort had in mind for these crystals.

"What exactly of these, my lord?" asked Dolohov.

"Power," replied Voldemort simply as he gazed upon the crystals, an intoxicating source of power to be sure, as when combined with the scrolls that he pilfered from Hogwarts last year, Voldemort had many roads to power that he could take.

"We need to make a couple of trips back my lord to get the rest," added one of the Death Eaters and Voldemort's eyes snapped up in mild surprise. It was already a great amount, the last thing he suspected was larger quantity in addition to what had already been brought before him.

"We've struck an untapped gold mine of magic my followers," remarked Voldemort calmly. "Soon, we will all take advantage of the power and all that oppose us will bow before us."

The day of the Quidditch final was upon Hogwarts and of course, the entire school was abuzz with anticipation and excitement as usual. The finals were Hufflepuff versus Slytherin, which normally would have been considered to be an easy victory for Slytherin on their way to the cup but the Hufflepuff Quidditch team had been training hard. The main attraction was naturally the battle between the two Potter siblings, who had captained each team. Many debated which would be the better Seeker. There were those who thought that Harry Potter was perhaps the greatest seeker to ever play Quidditch at Hogwarts, with his death defying stunts and just flawless ability at flying. However, some did acknowledge that Hailey was pretty talented in her own right, if a bit inexperienced. If the circumstances were right, Hailey could maybe beat her brother towards the Snitch and score the third Hufflepuff upset of the season. Others scoffed at this notion, but all did agree that this game would be one for the ages.

At that moment, Harry was trying to eat breakfast along with the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team as they went over some last minute strategies quietly, with Harry not really paying any attention. He had put Ginny onto fine tuning the details of the game, synchronizing the strategy with the rest of the Chasers, they had went over some things the night before, but Harry decided to focus completely on getting the Snitch. The problem was Harry had some unique new strategies to try but they all resulted in the other seeker suffering some sort of injury. He was very reluctant to intentionally cause his sister to be injured, even though Harry knew that Hailey was nearly as skilled as he was in the air and was more likely to get injured by some dangerous move that she tried rather than anything Harry did or did not do. It was all Harry could do to relax and just try to treat Hailey like any other opposing Seeker than his sister. Still, he vowed not to try the really dangerous stunts unless absolutely necessary.

"Harry, I just wanted to come and wish you luck before the Quidditch game," remarked Lily as she walked up to the Slytherin table.

"Oh, thanks Mum," replied Harry with a nod.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Hailey, go out there, have fun, don't take anything personally, and for Merlin sake, don't get hurt," added Lily.

"How is Hailey?" asked Harry.

"She seems a bit nervous, you do have quite the reputation as a skilled Seeker," responded Lily. "I've overhead some say that you might be one of the best, if not the best in Hogwarts history."

"Now, Mum, I think that might be overstating my abilities just a little bit," replied Harry who was a bit embarrassed. "I'm fairly competent…"

"Fairly competent?" demanded Daphne who was sitting a bit away from the Slytherin Quidditch team. "I don't know of many Seekers who could catch the Snitch when someone had been jinxing your broomstick."

"Or with a broken arm," added Theodore.

"Or despite being effected by fifty Dementors," chimed in Hermione, who had just joined them. It had taken several days to get used to the fact that they had accepted her after what she had said but Harry and Ginny sat her down the first day after break, and told Hermione that Riddle had made her do those things, they didn't blame her at all.

"Face it Harry, you're pretty damn good," replied Ginny before adding with a wink. "You're not just another pretty face, otherwise, do you think I'd date you?"

"Okay fine, I'm decent," said Harry waving off his hand before he turned to Ginny. "Plus, you're just as good as me in the air, pretty damn brilliant if I'm as good as they say I am."

Ginny just responded by kissing Harry madly. After a couple of moments, they realized that they were surrounded by the other members of the Slytherin Quidditch team and not in a private area of the castle, so they broke up.

"We'll finish this later," muttered Ginny and Harry nodded with a grin before he turned, adjusting his face into a serious expression and addressed the rest of the team.

"Okay, I best get going, Dumbledore wants the teachers out to police the stands early," remarked Lily as she walked from the Great Hall towards the field.

"I have the easiest job on the team, it's the rest of you that keep the team together, I couldn't have won those two games without all of you," added Harry. "I'll save the grand standing speech for when we'll all dressed but since we're all done, we better start heading out."

The Slytherin Quidditch team nodded, before they headed out, with Daphne, Theodore, and Hermione following so they could get decent seats to watch the game. Before they made their way outside, Snape was waiting for them.

"Mr. Potter, I do hope that you're going to treat this game like any other, as I have grown rather accustomed of having the Quidditch Cup in my office," remarked Snape. "I would hate to lose that particular fixture after all that time."

"Don't worry Professor Snape, we're ready to win," responded Harry and the other team members nodded in unison.

"Then good luck to you all," said Snape calmly as he stepped to the side, allowing the Slytherin Quidditch Team to make their way out to the dressing room to change and prepare for the game.

The stadium was packed for the Quidditch team final, with a lot of noise. Harry poked his head outside to have a look around.

"The weather is clear, not a cloud in the sky and the temperature feels just right," informed Harry. "The perfect day for a Quidditch match in other words."

The team nodded, some of them not trusting themselves to speak.

"Also the entire school seems to be watching this match and…" remarked Harry before he trailed off. "Don't want to put any pressure on you all or anything, but I saw a few professional Quidditch talent scouts out there."

"Oh, that just takes all the pressure off, thanks Harry," replied Isabelle in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Doubt they'd be looking at all of us," remarked Victoria.

"Yeah, they'd be looking at Harry and maybe Ginny," added Jack.

"I get Harry, but why me?" asked Ginny.

"Ginny, you're just as good as me and you know it," replied Harry. "I just hope they aren't expecting me to sign on just yet, because there are a few other details that I need to take care of."

"Yeah, there's that tiny little matter of Voldemort that you have to take care of first," added Ginny, causing the other members of the Slytherin Quidditch team to laugh. "Still you can't deny that they'll looking to the future."

Harry nodded before he cleared his throat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'll be blunt, this may very well be the last time I'll get a chance to compete on a Quidditch team at Hogwarts," explained Harry as the others nodded. "I won't go out on anything less than a personal best performance, so today the future doesn't matter, Voldemort doesn't matter, nothing else matters but the game ahead of us. So one more time, maybe, just maybe, one final time as a team, we'll go out there and show everyone what the Slytherin Quidditch Team is made of."

The team cheered, the adrenaline was flowing, they were ready against Hufflepuff, ready to show their worth towards their captain, the player who was the driving force, the heart and soul of their team, Harry Potter. As Harry had constantly reminded them during practice, they should not expect an easy victory, it would be one that would be done by a lot of hard work, determination, and most importantly team work.

The Hufflepuff team made their way out, lead by Hailey, with equally determined looks on their faces. Some members of the crowd got to their feet, excited at the intensity of both of the teams.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Quidditch team final," replied the motone voice of the Quidditch announce. "These two teams will fight for the Quidditch Cup. First we have the Slytherin Quidditch team. They have Chasers Ginny Weasley, Isabelle Martinez, and Victoria Knox, along with Keeper Blaise Zabini, beaters Jack Maff and Rob Turner, and finally the seeker…captain Harry…Potter. They play against Hufflepuff. Chasers, uh, Elizabeth Martin, Brent Vine, and Carl Jacobs, their keeper, Gregory Vance, beaters Ray Edwards and Keith Lanton, and lead by the captain, their seeker, who is Harry Potter's baby sister."

Harry looked up, he did not really pay all too much to the Quidditch commentary on the games he didn't play but Hailey's complaint were not that far off base. The monotonously commentary did seem to be a bit off putting and rather distracting. Harry caught his sister's eye before he aimed his wand upwards. Hailey nodded, the same idea.

"Madam Hooch walks down to the field," stated the connecting but two jets of red light shot upwards, connecting with the magical microphone and causing it to explode into several pieces, causing a loud feedback loop to echo through the Quidditch stadium.

"I can't believe those two did that!" yelled Hermione from the stands as she clasped her hands over her ears to block out the shrill sounds.

"Just as well, because I was about to do something, that guy shows no passion for this sport," remarked Daphne as Theodore nodded.

"Still, I didn't expect Harry to actually do it, Hailey yes, but Harry was a bit of a surprise," added Theodore. "Still should give us a chance to watch the game without nitpicking the commentary."

"True, true," remarked Daphne and Hermione, who didn't really care all that much for Quidditch, also nodded in agreement, before she turned her attention towards the game.

"Captains shake hands!" ordered Madam Hooch and Hailey and Harry stared each other down, with Harry extending his hand for his sister to shake it but Hailey just drew back and responded with a bow. Harry smirked and responded by bowing back before they shook hands to the cheers of the crowd.

Four balls and fifteen broomsticks shot up into the air, officially beginning the game. Needless to say, Hufflepuff didn't waste too much time as Elizabeth swooped in right away, grabbing the Quaffle and spun around, before she spiraled it towards the air, right in an attempt to score a quick goal and sure enough, it managed to get through, scoring the first goal within ten seconds for Hufflepuff.

Ginny turned to her fellow Chasers, they weren't going to take this early setback lightly. When the Quaffle was bounced back into play, the Bludgers were blasted in front of the Hufflepuff Chasers. This allowed for a diversion in which Isabelle swooped in and gained possession of the Quaffle. Ginny dodged in, taking the Quaffle before the Hufflepuffs could hammer the Bludgers towards them. Diving underneath an attempt for the Hufflepuff Team to attempt to snatch the Quaffle way, Ginny spun around before she gracefully passed it over her shoulder and it went though the goal posts, bumping the score up to a tie with ten points a piece.

Harry hovered a bit of above the field, only routinely checking up on the action when he had the chance. Below, he saw Slytherin push ahead with two more goals, bumping the score up to thirty to ten but the Hufflepuff team would not be denied for much longer, as they gained control of the Quaffle just as Harry had spotted the Snitch out of the corner of his eye.

Adjusting himself, Harry had shot forward like a cork out of an unstable bottle but as he looked over his shoulder, Hailey gained on him, with equal speed. He had only seen the Snitch a split second before she did and she was determined to catch up. One of the Hufflepuff Beaters hammered a Bludger right towards Harry to slow him down but he swerved around it causing the Bludger to fly off towards the other side. Unfortunately for Huffepuff, Brent Vine was disarmed by the errant Bludger and Victoria took advantage, grabbing the Quaffle, dodging another Bludger and passed it off to Isabelle who managed to push the Quaffle though for a forty to ten lead.

Meanwhile, in the excitement, the Snitch had vanished, bringing Harry back to square one and he hovered over the game, trying to reestablish his aim for the Snitch.

On the other side, Hailey was frustrated, what seemed like a good idea at the time had only put Slytherin ahead by another ten points.

"Step it up!" shouted Hailey to the Chasers. "Remember what we practiced yesterday!"

Another attempt of a goal by Slytherin was thawarted and Elizabeth grabbed the Quaffle, passing it to Carl who attempted to pass it towards Brent but Ginny managed to swoop in and grab control before she rocketed it over the heads of all three Hufflepuff Chasers. The Keeper dove a little bit too far and the Quaffle slipped though, and Slytherin had gained the fifty to ten score.

Hailey saw the Snitch and she blasted upwards, but Harry had also seen the Snitch. Bobbing in and out, Harry avoided the players and reached forward, the Snitch was only a few feet away.

Hailey screwed her eyes in concentration as she attempted to swerve in front of her brother to snatch the Snitch from underneath his nose but Harry shifted his weight slightly enough, preventing her from getting in front of him. Harry knew exactly what he was doing and he very nearly reached the Snitch but the Hufflepuff Beaters were on either side, the Bludgers came across Harry but it was a simple, yet effective move that Harry had anticipated.

Harry shifted his weight up and blasted the Firebolt up, causing the Hufflepuff Beaters to just barely avoid wiping each other out with their own Bludgers. With the Snitch now vanished, Harry continued his search for the Snitch, reasoning it could not have gotten all that far.

Hufflepuff managed to stage a remarkable comeback within the next several moments. Carl managed to just barely avoid a Bludger from the Slytherin team before he put the Quaffle through. The score bumped up fifty to twenty, still in favor of Slytherin but two more goals after some extensive back and forth action lead to a fifty to forty score, as Hufflepuff was pulling back as the crowd was getting excited with each passing move and counter move.

Harry kept half of an eye on the back and forth action, as he surveyed the sky for the Snitch, which was remaining rather elusive in this stage of the game. After several minutes of intense searching, in which Hufflepuff managed to tie up the game for a brief moment but a goal from Ginny had pushed Slytherin back to their narrow sixty to fifty lead, Harry saw the Snitch fluttering down by the grass.

In a flash, Harry rocketed towards the ground, on the opposite direction towards where the Snitch was in an attempt to divert his sister's attention. When he was halfway down, Harry changed courses slightly and shot in a straight line but to her credit, Hailey kept up, until they were both neck and neck towards the Snitch. Both Potter children reached forward at the same time, whomever had the better reach looked to have been the one to grab the Snitch first.

Harry had his finger tips on the Snitch but saw something souring from behind him and it was an attempt a Bludger. He didn't know who had hit it but Harry did know to move, and Hailey swerved out of the way, but the Bludger managed to cut her off from the Snitch which made its way back up. In a desperate move, Harry attempted to snatch the Snitch on its way up but the Slytherin Seeker was not quick enough. The Snitch vanished from sight and fluttered off in the distance away from the game.

Game play got even more intense, as Ginny, Isabelle, and Victoria seemed to be switching to a slightly new strategy which paid off well as it netted Slytherin three more goals and thus thirty more points, with the score at ninety to sixty. Harry smirked, his team really got intense even when the slightest ground but the Hufflepuff Team proved to be a great challenge when the Slytherin stepped up their game. Another goal was scored, after a bit of intense back and forth action, along with several near misses, as the Quaffle was passed around like a hot potato, with no sign of the intense back and forth action being let up.

Harry arched his neck, the Snitch had decided to play hard to get and the game was nearing the hour point. Hufflepuff further closed the gap with a goal that bumped the score up to a ninety to ninety tie. An attempt to swing the pendulum the other way pushed things too far, as Blaise blocked the attempt of the Quaffle to get shot passed him before it was tossed back into the game. The Quaffle bounced back and forth for the next fifteen minutes, with several near misses, but no goals as the tie remained ninety to ninety. The Keepers on each time were bound and determined to not allow their team to lose any ground, so it appeared that if things continued at this rate, it would be down to which Seeker caught the Snitch first.

Harry looked, the intense back and forth action had masked his attempts to locate the Snitch. It didn't appear that Hailey was having much more luck than he was, it was more of a waiting game, both Seekers remained vigilante, sooner or later the Snitch would need to show up but until then they blocked all thought of the back and forth action around them which still yielded no goals either way.

Then there it was, in flickering off several feet to the right, the Golden Snitch. Harry turned his broomstick, adrenaline kicking in as he shot downwards, spiraling around towards the Snitch. On the other side, Hailey had also seen the direction her brother was headed and put on a lot of speed. Hailey managed to somehow used the slight wind that was kicking up to her favor and accelerated, until she was shoulder to shoulder with Harry, as both siblings raced towards the Snitch, as the crowd seemed rose to their feet in anticipation.

"LET'S GO POTTER!" shouted a spectator.

Everyone did have their eyes glued towards the race to the Snitch, everyone except for the players who played slightly above, as Ginny managed to dive forward and take possession of the Quaffle. After the last several failed goal attempts, she was bound and determined to get at least more goal. Ginny dodged underneath an attempted shot for the Bludger before she quickly faked to the right and shot to the left.

The Quaffle made its way though the hoop just as Hailey and Harry reached forward simultaneously and those who just blinked saw that both Potters had their hands on the Snitch, with Madam Hooch blowing the whistle to signify the end of the game.

"What just happened?" asked Elizabeth who had just swooped down with the other Hufflepuff team members to look at Hailey, as the Snitch was let go, being examined by Madam Hooch.

"I don't know," replied Hailey who was utterly confused, she didn't know whether Harry had beat her to the Snitch or not. It had been pretty damn close, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, the Slytherin Team was done in a huddle on the field.

"So, who won?" asked Isabelle in a hushed voice.

"Hailey was closer to the Snitch but I have a bit longer reach," replied Harry.

"So too close to call in other words," said Jack. "We were too busy playing, we didn't see what happened."

"Good, I didn't want you to stop to watch my attempts to grab the Snitch anyway," responded Harry.

"Ginny did manage to get off a good goal at the last minute," added Victoria. "Really brilliant, we thought we hit a wall in scoring, but she just managed to outsmart the Keeper."

"Yes, I just put it though just a second before Hooch blew the whistle," remarked Ginny. "It was nothing really…"

"I'm sure it was great," said Harry. "Shame I didn't get to see it."

"Harry, I don't want you watching me when you're supposed to getting the Snitch," remarked Ginny. "There will be plenty of time for that later."

Harry laughed before his attention had diverted elsewhere, it appeared that Madam Hooch had made a decision.

"Before the Golden Snitch was caught, the score of this Quidditch Game was one hundred to ninety, in favor of Slytherin," announced Hooch. "After extensive review, it appears that the Golden Snitch was caught simultaneously by both the Hufflepuff and Slytherin Seekers, therefore by virtue of that, each team will receive one hundred and fifty points. As a result of being ten points in the lead before the Snitch was caught, the 1996-1997 house Quidditch champions are Slytherin!"

The Slytherin supporters cheered before they made their way onto the field and even the Hufflepuff supporters clapped respectively, including the Hufflepuff team themselves.

"You know I'll take a ten point loss, because Harry, I came closer to beating you to the Snitch when you were conscious then anyone else had before," remarked Hailey with a grin. "Besides, there's always next year."

"You did great Hailey," said Harry. "I'm proud of you, but don't let the praise go to your head."

"If she's like her father, she might," remarked Lily who had just made her way out on the field. "That was really good both of you."

Daphne, Theodore, and Hermione made their way down to the field to celebrate with the rest of the team. Harry felt that life was good and nothing could ruin it, not even Voldemort.


	38. Chapter 38: Triple Crossed

**Chapter Thirty Eight: Triple Crossed**

For a few days, the entire school was abuzz about the Quidditch final that occurred between Hufflepuff and Slytherin, everyone analyzing the game and talking about each play, along with what the Hufflepuff team might have done differently to win the game. Hailey even admitted that looking back, there were some things that the Hufflepuff team could have done differently, that were not as obvious when playing the game.

Talk unfortunately slowly died down as reality set in on the students of Hogwarts. Exams were rapidly approaching, with most students feeling the need to buckle down and study to achieve the best possible grades. Even known slackers could be found in the library, attempting to work hard. 

The fifth years had the very frustrating and time consuming task of preparing for their Ordinary Wizarding Level tests. These tests determined what classes they would be allowed to take during their sixth and seventh years, which would give them their options of what career paths they would take. Unlike the regular yearly exams, it was a culmination of five years of magical learning, with every little bit of information they learned being subject to examination. 

Ginny closed her fifth year Transfiguration book in relief, as Harry stood by, also studying for his sixth year exams as he gave Ginny what help he could. 

"Remember Ginny, don't try and memorize every word, it will cause you to forget more than you learn," cautioned Harry. "You've been doing well enough this year, just lightly review so you'll be prepared enough to recall anything that might come up."

"I know but there's just so much!" cried Ginny in frustration. "How do you do it Harry, you were able to do well on your O.W.Ls and you barely even studied!"

"Ginny, to be honest I really didn't need to study, don't ask me to explain how, I just recall everything better when I don't commit text to mind," replied Harry. "Please, don't stress out about it, you'll do great."

"Harry, I'll fail everything, I just see it coming, Mum and Dad will disown me and I'll be disgraced," said Ginny in a worried voice and Harry found it a bit amusing that these particular exams turned normally strong willed individuals into worried wrecks. 

"Ginny, relax," replied Harry as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Take a deep breath, count to ten."

"It's not helping," muttered Ginny but she sat down, slowly calming down. "I'm sorry Harry, it's just that…"

"The O.W.Ls are driving you to a verge of a psychotic breakdown," responded Harry who was barely able to suppress a smirk. 

"Yes," said Ginny in a frustrated voice. "You've got enough to worry about, with…"

"Everything going on with Voldemort and not knowing exactly what he's up to," responded Harry. "Ginny…"

"Seriously it's no trouble at all," said Ginny before she shook her head, with a bit of a weak smile crossing her face. "Wow, we have had this conversation so many times, that we can finish each other's sentences."

"That or we know each other all too well, and Ginny, we haven't had this particular conversation," replied Harry. "Only about ten or eleven times, no big deal really."

Ginny laughed in better spirits for a short time, before she sighed realizing that she needed to get back to work. She had enough time to quickly look over the first couple of years of Potions, before she joined Harry for lunch and then it was back to work, with the exams beginning on Monday, Ginny only needed to complete her studying on Potions and then she could try to take the day before the O.W.L. exams off. 

After what seemed like an eternity of intense studying, but was really only about an hour, Ginny checked her watch. 

"Time to go to lunch?" suggested Harry. 

"Yes, I suppose we better," responded Ginny as she blearily got up, before she followed Harry, gripping his hand as Harry climbed up towards the exit to the Slytherin library, before he used his wand to open the archway before leading Ginny through. Once Harry passed, the exit sealed itself, resuming its normal appearance of a brick wall to everyone but Harry. 

A grunt was heard which caused Harry and Ginny to both stop in their tracks, before they pulled their wands out and looked forward. A clunk echoed and another clunk, before the battered form of Draco Malfoy appeared from a corridor off to the side, before he collapsed against the wall, before he turned his bruised and cut up face towards Harry, with a hand on his ribs and a pained expression on his face. 

"What happened to you?" demanded Ginny calmly. 

"Death Eaters…attack..found…out…about…passing information," breathed Malfoy, as he slid across the wall. "In the school…now…tell…someone"

Malfoy very nearly passed out from the pain.

"Stay right there, Malfoy," ordered Harry before he motioned for Ginny to follow him into another corridor. With a wave of his wand, Harry opened a classroom door before he pulled Ginny into an abandoned classroom and they closed the door. 

'I don't know who he thinks he's fooling," whispered Ginny. "That's a make up job so obvious that even a first year can figure it out and he was being too over dramatic for being injured."

"Well, he's trying to fool me, this could be his plan," responded Harry. "A very poor plan granted, but it just proves that Malfoy's up to something."

Harry reached into his pocket, removing the Marauder's Map. He didn't know why, but something told him that it would be a good idea to check it. 

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," muttered Harry and the map became visible. After a few seconds of looking at the map, an alarmed look appeared on Harry.

"What is it?" asked Ginny and Harry handed her the map. 

"Look at the Divination tower area," said Harry and Ginny looked at the map before her eyes widened at the name on the map. "Go get Mum, we need to prepare, as there appears to be a security breach in Hogwarts and I doubt that anyone is aware of it if my suspicions are right."

"What are you going to do Harry?" questioned Ginny. 

"I'm going to pretend to fall for Malfoy's little charade," responded Harry calmly. 

"Be careful, please," said Ginny as she kissed Harry good bye. 

"Okay, Ginny, I will, it's not like Malfoy can get the jump on me," replied Harry calmly. "I can handle whatever that twitchy little twerp throws at me."

"Okay, I guess, good luck Harry, I love you," said Ginny. 

"Love you too Ginny, bye," said Harry as he parted ways with her as Ginny went towards Harry's office before Harry rejoined Malfoy, ready to defend himself at a second's notice.

"So, Potter, you've sent..for…help," responded Malfoy with a pained grimace. 

"Yes, Malfoy, do lead the way, I'll be able to send word where they are but I may be able to take them by surprise," answered Harry in a cool voice and Malfoy nodded, clutching his cheek, before he staggered down the hallway, clinging onto the wall as he moved step to step with Harry following behind. 

Malfoy stopped, as he dropped to one knee, before he collapsed to his knees, and looked to be struggling to breath. With a shaky motion, Malfoy extended his arm outwards and pointed towards a tapestry that lead through a corridor that sometimes was used as a shortcut, before he dropped to his hands and knees. 

"Through there Potter," breathed Malfoy and Harry turned, before he stepped forward and pulled back the tapestry. 

In a flash, Malfoy popped up to his feet, not injured at all and pulled out a sickly looking yellow vial and flung it into the corridor behind Harry. He used his wand to seal the tapestry to the wall, blocking all air from coming in and out, just seconds before a loud explosion was heard from inside the corridor and the biggest smirk ever appeared on Malfoy's face. 

He had done what no one else had done, he had killed Harry Potter! 

Lily looked up from the work at her desk as she saw an incoming person coming towards her office. When she saw it was Ginny and the urgent look on her face, Lily quickly disabled the defenses to allow Ginny inside. Sure enough, Ginny bolted into the office, the Marauder's Map in her hand.

"Ginny, calm down, what is it," prompted Lily.

"We just got back from the Slytherin Library on our way to lunch when Malfoy came to us, saying that Death Eaters had invaded the school and had discovered that he had been passing information to Harry," explained Ginny quickly. "Harry naturally saw through his ruse but was willing to play along long enough to see what Malfoy was up to and went off with him. Before he did, he checked the Marauder's Map and well…"

Ginny held out the map, pointing to the intruder that Harry had noticed and pointed out to her just moments ago and Lily gasped as she looked right at the dot on the map.

"Heading towards the seventh floor," muttered Lily gravely. 

"There's nothing important up there, except for…" started Ginny before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh bloody hell!"

"Exactly," answered Lily as she traced the route with her finger, examining the map as quickly as she could. "We might be able to beat her there, but we're going to have to work quickly."

Lily walked over and threw a handful of Floo powder into the fireplace.

"Minerva, are you in your office?" asked Lily.

"Yes, Lily, I am, what seems to be the problem?" responded the voice of Professor McGonagall as she poked her head out of the fireplace. 

"No time to explain exactly how I know, but there's a Death Eater in Hogwarts, heading towards the seventh floor," said Lily quickly.

"I will inform the other teachers to head there right now and Dumbledore as well if I can find him," said McGonagall, who was all too aware that Dumbledore had not been seen at Hogwarts in several weeks, always away on business of some sort, only returning briefly to attend his counseling sessions with Malfoy. 

"Do that, because if this Death Eater gets to the seventh floor, they will be able to use open up a doorway to allow others into the school," added Lily in a grave voice and McGonagall nodded before she disappeared to sound the alarm. 

Lily quickly waved her wand to contact the members of the resistance group, just in case the teachers couldn't reach the seventh floor in time and there were too many Death Eaters brought in to Hogwarts for them to fight. 

"Ginny, keep your wand ready at all times, we need to get to the seventh floor," said Lily.

"You mean you want me to join you?" asked Ginny in surprise.

"Ginny, you're an assistant teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts, that should be good enough," said Lily quickly as the two left the office to take a shortcut to the seventh floor. 

Malfoy continued to look smug as he looked at the corridor where Harry Potter would have likely to have been poisoned by essence of Nundu breath. 

"Potter, you've ruined my life for six years, now I ended yours!" cheered Draco in a triumphant voice. 

"Not yet, Draco," answered a calm voice and Draco spun around, to see Potter standing there, who was very much alive. 

"Potter, why in the hell aren't you dead?" demanded Malfoy. "There is no way you could have survived being poisoned."

"Right Draco, that plan was brilliant, it would have been more brilliant if I hadn't seen through your entire scheme," said Harry and Malfoy's eyes widened in surprise. "That's right Malfoy, I knew you were up to something this year but I guess you couldn't be above petty revenge."

"My plan was foolproof Potter!" yelled Malfoy who was getting more and more upset by the moment, a year of hard work wasted. 

"You're the fool Malfoy," taunted Harry. "You couldn't kill me, you don't have the ability to kill anything."

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" cried Malfoy and the green light sped towards Harry and connected but Harry just vanished in mid air.

"Malfoy, I told you I was in control," responded Harry, as he stood. "Holographic projection spells are fun, aren't they Malfoy?"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" yelled Malfoy but that particular Harry vanished in mid air and Malfoy looked on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum but he also felt a bit weakened by throwing a pair of killing curses at Harry. "Potter, fight me face to face."

"That wouldn't be very Slytherin of me, Malfoy," responded Harry who stood right before Malfoy. "Come on Malfoy, one more time, third time might be the charm with the Killing Curse."

"No, Potter, I'm not falling for you little hologram tricks," said Malfoy but Harry reached out and snatched Malfoy's wand with his bare hands before he grabbed the Malfoy heir by the arm and flung him to the ground.

Harry bent down and hoisted up Malfoy, until the two wizards were face to face, with Harry kicking Malfoy's wand away. 

"Now, Malfoy, exactly how did your associate get into Hogwarts!" demanded Harry. 

"Potter, what are you talking about?" asked Malfoy, with confusion etched upon his face.

"Don't play dumb with me, there is at least one other Death Eater besides you, Malfoy," responded Harry. 

"I don't know where you're getting your information Potter, but you know nothing about it," whimpered Malfoy. "Now let me go!"

"Not until you tell me the truth," said Harry in his most dangerous voice, as he was in perfect position to snap Malfoy's neck with his bare hands if he wanted to, but if he did, he wouldn't learn anything. 

"ATTENTION! All teachers report up to the seventh floor, there has been a breach of security at Hogwarts, all prefects are to escort the students of their respective houses back to their dormitories!" boomed the voice of Professor McGonagall. "I repeat, all teachers to the seventh floor and all prefects will escort their students to their dormitories!"

"I had nothing to do with this Potter!" begged Malfoy.

"There's only one way to find out," said Harry as he looked right into Malfoy's eyes. Malfoy's Occulmency was fairly decent, but Harry broke through Malfoy's defenses in less than thirty seconds, Harry was able to shift towards Malfoy's mind with little effort, shoving together his false thoughts to determine the truth. 

"Potter, stop it, you aren't authorized to poke around in my head, I'll have you arrested!" yelled Malfoy but Harry silenced Malfoy with a wave of his wand before he finished his work and dropped Malfoy to the ground before he burst out in laughter. 

Malfoy looked up at Harry in astonishment, with a befuddled look on his face.

"What do you think is so funny?" demanded Malfoy.

"Malfoy, you really think that Voldemort would entrust you with killing me?" responded Harry in an amused tone, as the amount of confidence that Malfoy thought Voldemort had in him was extremely naïve. 

"I happen to know that the Dark Lord has the uttermost faith in me Potter," answered Malfoy in self assured tone.

"You are nothing but a mere amusement for Voldemort, Malfoy," explained Harry. "He set you up to fail because your father failed. You are nothing but an example Malfoy, he never expected you to get close to killing me. You were set up."

"Lies Potter!" shouted Malfoy as he made his way towards his wand but Harry leapt up and knocked Malfoy to the side. 

"Listen to me Malfoy and listen to me good, Voldemort doesn't give a damn about you," responded Harry. "If you had any measure of what Voldemort was truly like, you would know that he would only want to kill me personally. He doesn't rely on others to do what he feels is necessary."

"I'll still kill you Potter," responded Malfoy but Harry flicked his wand and sent Malfoy flying halfway across the hallway and out of sight. 

Lily and Ginny exited the short cut towards the seventh floor, to see Professor Trelawney moving quickly towards the Room of Requirement but she stopped abruptly when she saw that she had company. 

"Professor Potter, how very interesting to see you up here, but of course I foresaw it!" exclaimed Trelawney as she looked at Lily and Ginny through her spectacles. "I heard the announcement about the security breach but perhaps if I step inside this room, I'll be able to take the intruders by surprise."

Lily glanced at the map, before she looked up at Trelawney and pulled out her wand. 

"No that won't be necessary…Bellatrix," said Lily before she sent a jet of red light at her opponent to immobilize her but Bellatrix managed to block it and sent a ball of black fire back at Lily. That attack was blocked as well. 

"Exactly how did you know it was me, you filthy Mudblood!" shouted Bellatrix, a sentence that looked very strange coming from Trelawney's mouth and the other teachers made their way up the stairs, wands withdrawn as they looked at Trelawney curiously. 

"Does it matter?" asked Lily calmly as she stepped forward with her wand pointed at Bellatrix. "Where is the real Trelawney?"

"Her mind is either broken or dead from the efforts that the Dark Lord's attempt to extract the information from her brain," said Bellatrix as she held her wand and looked at the teachers and Ginny, a calculating look in her eyes. "Nine against one, that's not fair, it looks like I'm going to have to add something to even the score."

Bellatrix waved her wand and a cloud of green smoke appeared, cloaking her appearance. Ginny shot ropes from her wand but they wrapped around the air harmlessly as Bellatrix slipped away and into the Room of Requirement, shutting the door opened. The teachers pushed the smoke away with their wands but the door had vanished, and Bellatrix was inside the room. 

"She got inside," said McGonagall in a frustrated voice, her Gryffindor nature shining through her stern demeanor but to her credit, she held her wand steady. 

"We couldn't handle one Death Eater and she's likely to bring back more," responded Sprout in a worried voice. 

"We won't get caught off guard this time, we'll be prepared for them," said Flitwick as he waved his wand. 

"Yes, but do any of you have any ideas on what exactly they are up to?" asked Lily, with her eyes resting on Snape as she asked this question. 

"No, we have to wait and see," said Snape calmly and true enough, this little move by Bellatrix was news to him, the Dark Lord had not exactly told him of any plans to invade Hogwarts. 

After a moment of intense waiting, the door began to materialize and the door pushed open. The teachers and Ginny all raised their wands, ready for whatever would come out of that room. 

Several black shapes whizzed out of the room and the area around them went completely black. 

"Instant darkness powder!" yelled Ginny. "Our wands won't even be able to penetrate it until it fades!"

"Scatter, split their defenses!" yelled a Death Eater, who could see perfectly in the dark, as they were wearing night vision goggles, modified to work around the magic in the air at Hogwarts. 

"Try and find your way through the dark, the powder's only contained to this corridor," said McGonagall's voice but her suggestion was much easier said then done as it would be a few moments before they were able to make their way to the dark. 

Harry walked through the hallway but Malfoy would not be shaken off as he stood face to face with Harry, his wand held out, with a look of utter contempt etched upon Draco's face and Harry turned slightly, with his wand also ready. 

"We're going to finish this Potter, I'm not giving up until you're dead," said Malfoy.

"Malfoy, I don't have time for you, there are more pressing matters at hand," responded Harry. 

"Face me Potter, unless you're scared!" taunted Malfoy as he shot a grey jet of light at Harry which the Boy-Who-Lived effortlessly deflected. 

"Malfoy, I don't have time," repeated Harry. "It's not a matter of fear, there is a more dangerous threat than you could ever hope to be, Malfoy."

Before Malfoy even had a chance to argue with Harry, three figures entered the room. 

"Potter's right, Draco!" chorused a Death Eater who Harry recognized as Alecto Carrow, who had very nearly avoided being captured by Harry's resistance group recently. She was joined by two Death Eaters that Harry didn't recognized. 

"Ah, just in time to see me finish off Potter!" yelled Draco as he waved his wand. 

"No that won't happen, Draco," responded one of the Death Eaters in a gruff voice. "You will come to us. The Dark Lord wishes to deal with you personally."

"No, I have to kill Potter, it's my right, you can't take this away from me!" argued Draco as he stood to face the Death Eaters. 

"The Dark Lord wants you alive, so he can deal with you personally and make your father see the price of failure, but he said nothing about roughing you up a little bit," said the third Death Eater before he turned to Harry. "Potter, I would suggest you leave and let us finish our business here, and we might allow you to live until the Dark Lord is ready to finish his business with you."

"Yes, Potter, for once you're not our objective, this inept child is, so do run off and we'll leave at once," added Alecto as she held her wand between her stubby fingers and pointed it at Draco, while stepping back and allowing a chance for Harry to depart. 

"An extremely tempting offer, but I think I'll pass because quite frankly I don't trust you to keep your world" admitted Harry before he used his wand to shoot a barrage of arrows at the Death Eaters, forcing them to put up shields charms. Spinning around quickly, Harry turned to face Malfoy. "Follow me if you want to live!"

Harry made his way down the hallway with Malfoy following closely behind.

"Best to keep moving, they won't give up yet and there may very well be more if Bellatrix left them in," said Harry in an absent minded voice. 

"Potter, why did you save me?" demanded Malfoy. "I wouldn't have done it for you."

"Just because you would have left me for dead doesn't mean I have to follow the same deplorable conduct as you do, Malfoy," hissed Harry angrily. "Besides, if I let you die, you wouldn't have lived long enough to realize that I was right, you were being set up for a fall by Voldemort because of your father's failure."

"Fine Potter, you were right, happy," said Malfoy in an irritable voice. "Doesn't change the fact that I want you dead."

The sound of approaching footsteps indicated that Death Eaters were coming but Malfoy had quickly slipped through a side door, which left Harry alone, not that having Malfoy there would have helped any.

"Typical," muttered Harry as he stood in a battle stance, ready to fight. 

"That little parlor trick back there was amusing Potter," remarked Alecto as she walked into the room with her two Death Eaters. "However, there is still time to cooperate with us, so show us where Malfoy is and we won't have to teach you a lesson."

"Better begin teaching because Malfoy just bolted out of here the second that he heard you coming," said Harry. 

"Insolent boy," said a gruff voiced Death Eater as he sent a jet of yellow light at Harry which was quickly deflected by Alecto. 

"The Dark Lord left very clear instructions to leave Potter alive," hissed Alecto. "Nothing lethal…"

Alecto was cut off when she was hoisted a few feet off the ground by Harry who whipped his arm, using the Death Eater as a projectile, her body smashed into the other two Death Eaters. Harry quickly blasted their wands out of reach, before he leapt up other them and shot ropes from his wind, binding the Death Eaters. With another flick, they were suspended upside down, hanging from the ceiling. 

"Now that should keep you three out of trouble, while I go help take care of your other playmates," said Harry, before he pulled out his mirror and tapped his wand to it. "Ginny, are you here?"

Harry looked at the mirror, as a faint light appeared on it, but mostly darkness as he heard Ginny's voice on the other end. 

"Yes Harry, sorry about the lack of visibility, but a bunch of Death Eaters just launched an entire crate of instant darkness powder into the corridors," said Ginny. "Hang on, I'm looking at the map right now, there appears to be at least thirty names on here that have been confirmed into Death Eaters."

"That's not counting the unconfirmed ones," responded Harry darkly and Ginny shook her head. 

"Lily called the resistance group, in fact, I believe Remus is leading them in through the Shrieking Shack," added Ginny. "The McGonagall also contacted the Ministry, not sure exactly how much help they're going to give us. We don't even know where Dumbledore is right now."

"Doesn't matter, Ginny, be careful, I'm going to see if I can find where Malfoy went off to," said Harry and Ginny looked at Harry curiously. "The Death Eaters are after him and as long as he's in the school, everyone's in danger."

"Okay Harry, I'm going to join the teachers, they look like they need all the help they can get," said Ginny and Harry just nodded, as Ginny's face faded from the mirror, as Harry made his down the corridors, ready to join the fight. 

McGonagall had her wand out, when she came face to face with Albus Dumbledore. 

"Headmaster it's only you," responded McGonagall in a relieved voice. 

"Ah yes, Minerva, I heard the strangest rumors that forced me to rush back here," responded Dumbledore. 

"If you heard about Bellatrix Lestrange posing as our Divination Teacher under Polyjuice Potion and letting a whole swarm of Death Eaters into the school, then that about sums up everything," said McGonagall dryly. 

Dumbledore looked at McGonagall with astonishment, he wouldn't have suspected Riddle to try the same plan twice, but Voldemort was full of surprises. He had only came out of hiding to take control of Draco's body, as he was running out of time in his rapidly decomposing body in his office and was unable to control this puppet form that he presented to the world for much longer. 

"Very well, I shall help secure the school, these Death Eaters cannot be allowed to leave, contact the Order for backup," prompted Dumbledore and McGonagall nodded, before she made her way quickly to her office. 

Harry rushed forward, having heard scuffled sounds of fighting and saw a Death Eater stagger backwards, before he threw a curse over his shoulder. Daphne entered and attempted to bind the Death Eater but he managed to block her attack and Harry looked into the corridor to see Theodore fight another Death Eater. A vicious looking curse was dodged and Theodore waved his wand, before the arms and legs of the Death Eater snapped together and he fell to the ground rigid. 

Daphne cursed as the other Death Eater had summoned a chair into her path and make his way down the corridor, to regain his bearings. 

"Theodore, I'm sorry, it looks like he got away," declared Daphne. 

"Well, Dad always has been a slippery one," said Theodore casually before he turned to Harry. "Hello Harry, fancy meeting you here."

"Hi, Daphne, Theodore," responded Harry. "I thought everyone was supposed to be escorted back to their common rooms by the prefects."

"They were, but those plans changed when Death Eaters poured into the school from every which direction, its mass chaos," said Daphne fretfully. "Most of the younger students were rounded off, before the prefects along with many of the other students joined the fight, but others were cut off from the main group."

Harry placed his hand on his forehead, he had a funny feeling that Hailey was one of those younger students who had decided to slip off and knowing her, she wanted to attempt to help. 

"So your father, Theodore," said Harry. 

"Yes, he didn't seem too happy about my decision to join Voldemort but Daphne managed to catch him off guard before he could do anything," responded Theodore. "So, what's up with you Harry, you looked like you're looking for someone?"

"Draco Malfoy, they're after him apparently, but he ran off and he's putting the whole school in danger," answered Harry. "You two haven't happened to see him have you?"

"Malfoy just happened to nearly side swipe us just a few minutes before we met up with Theodore's father," answered Daphne. "He seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, he shouldn't have gotten too far, went about that way."

"Thanks," said Harry gratefully. "I'll see you two later."

"All right, take care Harry," said Daphne as Theodore nodded at her side before Harry quickly made his way off to grab Malfoy before he got someone killed with his attitude. 

"Sirius I can't believe you came here, don't you have any sense?" demanded Lily as she had saw a good chunk of the resistance group had managed to find their way to Hogwarts. "If anyone sees you…"

"Lily, Remus was visiting me when I heard your little message, I couldn't just pass up the opportunity to help," argued Sirius. 

"Lily, believe me I tried, but Sirius was insistent," said Remus calmly. 

"Fine Sirius, but it's not like if you get caught, we're be able to magically get our hands on Pettigrew and prove your innocence," replied Lily. "That's the only proof that the Ministry will accept and anything less…"

"Finding Pettigrew might not be that much of a problem, considering he's right in Hogwarts," said Ginny as she examined the map closely and that got the attention of everyone around her, as they crowded around the map. 

"Must of snuck in with the other Death Eaters," suggested Remus calmly and Sirius looked ready to have a little talk with Pettigrew. 

"Locating all the Death Eaters is important," responded Ginny. "Sirius, I know what you're thinking but we do still need Wormtail alive."

"She's right," said Lily. "In fact, Ginny, give me the map, I'm going to go after Peter myself, I haven't had the chance to properly thank him for betraying our whereabouts to Voldemort."

Ginny did as she was told. 

"Okay, split up into teams and everyone take a floor, do everything in your power to make sure the Death Eaters don't escape," concluded Lily before she made her way off as the members of the resistance group talked amongst themselves quickly about how to best divide up. It was a bit of a difficult approach, as they didn't have the exact number of Death Eaters they were dealing with per floor but it was worked out before they split up.

Severus Snape crept around, removed from the chaos that Bellatrix had induced when she had used the Room of Requirement to draw Death Eaters into the school. It would be best if he had just stayed out of the way and picked his shots carefully.

"Severus, a word," said Dumbledore quietly and Snape turned around in surprise, but Dumbledore didn't seem to be too pleased with Snape at the moment. 

"Headmaster…" started Snape. 

"You should have told me of Bellatrix's plan to invade Hogwarts," said Dumbledore coldly. 

"I was unaware of it, Headmaster," remarked Snape calmly. "The Dark Lord keeps…"

"You are not gaining Lord Voldemort's trust enough, as Lestrange would have had to been in the castle the entire year," whispered Dumbledore. 

"To be fair, I did tell you that The Dark Lord told me brew a large amount of Polyjuice Potion," answered Snape briskly. 

"Yes, I should have saw the signs," admitted Dumbledore. "Still, I was in contact with what few Order members we could get into Hogwarts; it is of uttermost importance that I bring Draco to my office within the next twenty four hours."

"Potter or the Death Eaters may very well beat you to him, because they are looking for Draco too," informed Snape and Dumbledore's expression became grave. 

"It is of importance that we get to Draco before they do, otherwise an entire year's of work in preparing the boy's body and mind for the switch will be all for nothing," ordered Dumbledore. "The Order may yet be able to find him, I told him he conspired with Bellatrix to flood the school with Death Eaters, so they won't question him coming to my office for a few questions."

"What of the Death Eaters, Headmaster?" asked Snape. 

"Mr. Potter and his associates can take care of them," said Dumbledore calmly, with a manic twinkle in his eye. "The Malfoy boy's body is more important to the grand plan."

Snape walked off to assist the Order and Dumbledore turned before he came face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Dumbly, didn't your mother tell you that it wasn't nice to manipulate other people to do your dirty work?" asked Bellatrix in a mock motherly voice. 

"Bellatrix, I'll have to ask you to surrender and I might suggest that you gain a lighter sentence when you are put back in Azkaban," said Dumbledore as he held his wand out, hoping to avoid a fight, as he was using all of his magic to control the puppet duplicate that was facing off against Bellatrix. 

"Dumbledore, your power becomes meaningless, give it up, Harry Potter has taken your place!" taunted Bellatrix. "Even the Dark Lord understands it, you are nothing but a holdover from another era, you can't pose even the slightest threat to us, anyone who was good in your little Order has either been killed by us or switched their allegiances to a more proactive leader."

Dumbledore attempted to catch Bellatrix off guard with a stunner but she blocked it. 

"Stunners, Dumbledore, how fourth year of you!" taunted Bellatrix. "Surely in the last century and a half you might have picked up some tricks that might be of use. I'll give you this one for free!"

Bellatrix blasted a rope covered in black flames from her wand and Dumbledore stepped back and managed to transfigure it into a harmless ribbon, the effort taking a great deal out of Dumbledore and he attempted to immobilize the crazed Death Eater but she sliced his ropes with a quick flick of her wrist. 

"Ah, getting tired, Albus?' asked Bellatrix in a mock baby voice. "That's the trouble with you men, you can't control your wands!"

Dumbledore fired two more rapid fire curses which Bellatrix blocked and Dumbledore felt his consciousness beginning to fade, the projection spell weakening because of all the magic he was expending against Bellatrix. 

A flesh rotting curse flew right towards Dumbledore and that took the wizard off balance. Bellatrix gained a fair bit of confidence after putting a spell past Dumbledore's defenses and a jet of yellow acid flew from her wand, splashing against Dumbledore's right arm. Dumbledore recoiled in pain as his wand clattered to the ground. 

"It's a shame that you would have to end like this Dumbledore," said Bellatrix with mock regret before she shook her head, not catching Dumbledore's suddenly vacant eyes. "Actually, it isn't, AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The green light impacted Dumbledore in the chest and Bellatrix stepped back. She had half expected Dumbledore to find a way to avoid the Killing Curse, but it never came as Dumbledore's body thumped to the ground, motionless.

"I killed Dumbledore," whispered Bellatrix as she stepped forward and jabbed the corpse with her wand but there was no movement. "I KILLED DUMBLEDORE!"

The insane witch reared her head back in laughter as she stepped away from Dumbledore's corpse, with a spring in her step and glee etched on her face, not to mention a whole boatload of confidence. 

Harry made his way to see a few students, including Hermione, Luna, and Neville, engaging group of seven Death Eaters, with a little help from a few members of his resistance group.

"Good afternoon Harry," said Luna as she managed to put one of the Death Eaters down. "I thought you'd join in on the fight sooner."

"I would…" started Harry as a Death Eater attempted to sneak up on him, but Harry threw his fist backwards and popped the Death Eater in the nose. 

"Yes, there were more Death Eaters here, but Malfoy showed up, he seemed to be in a hurry, so a trio of them followed Malfoy down that corridor," added Hermione as she sent a jet of fire at the Death Eater she was fighting. "Only just before you arrived in fact."

"Really, thanks Hermione," said Harry quickly, as he made his way, he had caught up to Malfoy.

He saw Malfoy cornered as three Death Eaters advanced on him. 

"I've got to admit it Draco, you managed to avoid us for a long time," said Dolohov. "The Dark Lord would like a word with you…"

"A-hem," coughed Harry and the three Death Eaters turned around to see Harry. "Forget about me."

"Potter, the Dark Lord only wishes for us to bring young Draco, we will leave the others alone once he had been secured," stated Dolohov. "So just leave us to our work…"

"Malfoy will be leaving today, but it won't be to Voldemort, I'm bringing him straight to the American Wizarding Government headquarters, where he'll be tried for attempted murder," said Harry. "If he would have killed anyone, I would have no problem with you taking him, but he hasn't under my watch."

"Incapacitate Potter, I'll deal with Malfoy," ordered Dolohov but Harry acted first, as he wrapped thick cords around the first Death Eater. A jab from his wand caused the magical equivalent of an electrical shock to zap the Death Eater and drop him.

The second Death Eater attempted to aim a concussion curse at Harry but Harry dodged under that one and levitated a desk with his wand. He withdrew it and the desk dropped on the Death Eater's head. With another wave of his wand, Harry caused the metal of the desk to wrap around the Death Eater, trapping him. 

"Sending a pair of new recruits at me, Dolohov?" asked Harry. 

"Potter, the Dark Lord wants you alive but he didn't say anything about making you wish that you weren't," stated Dolohov as he slashed his wand towards Harry but a stone shield was conjured. The shield was sliced in half but it gave Harry the opportunity to dodge around Dolohov and throw a pair of shuriken at Dolohov which had temporarily broken Dolohov's concentration and allowed Harry to swerve slightly around to confuse his opponent. 

Draco watched the battle from underneath a desk as Dolohov attempted to injure Potter with another slicing curse and then Potter using a chair to block its effects. The chair shattered into millions of tiny tooth pick sized pieces. As Potter pulled out a dagger, Draco could have kicked himself, he nearly had forgotten about it. Reaching into the inside pocket with a smirk, Draco would have Potter on his back, dead yet. 

Harry threw his dagger at Dolohov and knocked his wand out of his hand. Dolohov gave an angry bellow and Harry blasted Dolohov backwards, into a row of desks. Raising his wand, Harry prepared to finish off one of Voldemort's most dangerous Death Eaters once and for all. 

Harry stopped in pain as he felt something stab in the back of his leg. The world around him became all blurry before he collapsed on of the desks, breathing shallowly. 

Draco slowly removed the Dagger of Lestrange from the back of Potter's leg, he had done it, Potter had been so preoccupied with Dolohov that Draco seized his chance and had succeeded where the Dark Lord, along with several other Death Eaters, had failed.

Draco Malfoy had killed Harry Potter. 


	39. Chapter 39: All Hell Breaks Loose

**Chapter Thirty Nine: All Hell Breaks Loose:**

The look on Draco Malfoy's face was the epitome of priceless. Even though he had planned it for quite some time, actually seeing his ultimate triumph over Harry Potter unfold before his very eye's was well worth it. His life was complete, if he died right now, then he would die satisfied. 

Dolohov pulled himself to his feet, looking from the motionless Harry Potter to the smug looking Malfoy. The veteran Death Eater shook his head, thinking he might have hit it too hard. There was no way that Draco Malfoy could have ever succeeded in the mission that the Dark Lord had set him up to fail but it looked like he had. 

"Just to think, I didn't need any help to beat Potter," remarked Malfoy smugly before he put his wand towards his throat and amplified his voice so the entire castle could here him. "The Dark Lord had dozens, perhaps hundreds even, of Death Eaters at hand and I had succeeded where he had failed. To all, hear my voice and realize, that the Boy-Who-Lived lives no longer, as I, Draco Malfoy, have killed Harry Potter!" 

The fighting had nearly come to a stand still inside the castle and Ginny, who had been dueling with a masked Death Eater, had frozen in her tracks and the Death Eater had fired a lethal curse at her which Ginny instinctively ducked before she whipped around and quickly immobilized her opponent, despite her arm shaking.

"No, no," muttered Ginny in horror as the ground beneath her began to slightly shake. "MALFOY IS LYING, HARRY CAN'T BE DEAD!"

Several windows inside the castle shattered as Ginny looked around, she had been leading the defenses inside Hogwarts for Harry, but she was shaken up beyond all belief and didn't think she could continue with such a high profile position. She wished she had the map, to find Harry, to prove Malfoy wrong, but something inside her felt it was beginning to fade and it could only be the bond with Harry. As much as it pained Ginny to think it, the bond could have only began to fade for one reason only. 

"Malfoy, you will answer to the Dark Lord for this," threatened Dolohov as he held his wand at Malfoy. 

"The Dark Lord could never beat Potter," replied Malfoy cockily. "Since I did, what do you think I'm going to do to him. I…"

Malfoy was blasted backwards and Dolohov stepped forward to secure Malfoy but he felt his legs and arms snap together, before he fell to the ground, with a loud thump that caused Draco to look from left to right, with a confused look plastered on his face. Whoever had helped him was not there anymore but Draco decided now would be the best time to find a way out of Hogwarts, to rethink his next move. 

In the confusion, his dagger was next to the one Potter had thrown. In an instant, Draco had quickly grabbed the dagger and pocketed it, before he had quickly and cautiously made his way from the classroom. If he could only make it to the secret passageway outside of the Slytherin Common Room, he would be able to make his way to Hogsmeade and disapparate from there.

As Malfoy left, the hand of Harry Potter twitched briefly, as he slid off the desk, breathing shallowly and hanging onto life. The venom from the dagger did do its share of damage, but Harry refused to succumb to it. Crawling over, Harry looked towards the dagger on the floor and blinked. Malfoy, in his haste, had taken the wrong dagger and left the one that he used to poison Harry. Quickly, before Malfoy could realize his folly, Harry wrapped the dagger up in a piece of fabric before he pocketed it and pulled himself up. Despite the fact that he could barely breath or move, Harry managed to summon up enough determination to move down the hall. He had to help. 

Malfoy's proclamation had shaken up the complexion of the battle in Hogwarts. The Death Eaters seemed particularly disturbed, if Malfoy was telling the truth, then they would all have to explain what happened to the Dark Lord, they would all have to pay for their failure. 

Daphne and Theodore looked dumbstruck, as they had been looking for Theodore's father when they had heard the news. Malfoy no doubt believed that he had killed Harry, so something bad had to have happened. 

A series of loud screams had broken their concentration and a group of Death Eaters were terrorizing a trio of defenseless first year girls, who had fearful expressions on their faces before as the Death Eaters raised their wands and Daphne and Theodore nodded, they needed to help them. 

A pair of stunners blasted two of the offending Death Eaters in the back. The other two Death Eaters had turned their attention to Daphne and Theodore. 

"It looks like we found a couple of new playmates," cackled one of the Death Eaters as his partner nodded maliciously before they moved in to the attack against Daphne and Theodore. 

Daphne managed to dodge a flesh rotting curse and send a concussion hex right back at her opponent, who blocked it and sent another dark spell that Daphne did not quite recognize at her, that she could just barely block with her shield. Over her shoulder, she saw Theodore just barely manage to fight off the Death Eater he was facing but her momentarily inattention caused Daphne to get bounce up into the air. She landed hard on the ground, wincing in agony as she hit. 

"Now where were we," said the Death Eater as he turned towards the first year girls. "No need to fret, I love playing with little girls!"

The Death Eater stepped forward in a predatory manner but Daphne had managed to get up, as Theodore continued his battle with the Death Eater off to the side and she threw herself in front of the Death Eater and sent him backwards with a spell.

"RUN!" yelled Daphne frantically to the first year girls who managed to find their feet and bolt off, as Daphne blocked another dark curse. Sadly, a slicing curse at her opponent's wand hand was avoided and the attacker faced Daphne before he shot a large grey bolt of magically energy after her, causing the wind to get completely knocked out of her.

Theodore had not spotted the activity behind him as the Death Eater he engaged in battle had backed him up a corridor as they dueled out of sight. 

The Death Eater stepped forward as Daphne was against the wall, just barely able to register what was going on around her. Daphne reached for her wand but the Death Eater jabbed his wand at his opponent's throat. She would have never been able to block it, not in a million years. 

Daphne gasped, as she felt her wind pipe slowly closing, as the air left her lungs and she slumped down, gasping as the Death Eater stepped back, as the sixth year girl could no longer feel her own body, the oxygen causing her brain to slowly shut down, as she attempted to feebly breath one last time. It was all for naught and her throat had sealed shut. Seconds later, Daphne collapsed, to know no more. 

The wall behind Hermione was completely destroyed, with a nasty cut on the girl's cheek, as she just managed to temporarily incapacitate the Death Eater she was battling, but he was beginning to show signs of life. She admitted it, she wasn't much of a duelist, no matter how smart she was. She gave it her all, helping the older students, along with the Resistance group, but her mind had been on what the entire castle had heard. Malfoy bragging about Harry's death and the hand he had in it. Hermione wanted to believe that Malfoy was exaggerating but there was something about the confidence in his voice that unnerved Hermione greatly. 

She had no time to dwell on this matter personally, as the Death Eater she had just knocked back made his way to his feet and turned to face Hermione, but the Death Eater found his arms and legs snapped together in unbreakable shackles and Hermione turned to see Tonks, who looked a bit shaken up as well. 

"Thanks Tonks," said Hermione gratefully. 

"Don't mention it, but there is a group that's having a hell of a time two corridors down," replied Tonks. "They need all the help they can get, so if you could…"

"Right," concluded Hermione as she made her way down the hallway, determined look on her face. 

"I'll join you once I've secured this one up here!" called Tonks. 

Hailey made her way towards a corridor, the floor of which was stained in blood. All hell had broken loose this afternoon and Hailey had not the slightest idea who was still fighting. There seemed to be an endless amount of Death Eaters both from inside and outside of the school that had joined in on the fight. 

The next corridor looked to be even worse than the one she had left, as bodies were strewn across the corridor, both of Hogwarts students, along with a couple of Death Eaters. The motionless body of a Ravenclaw in her brother's year, Anthony Goldstein, laid on the floor, his spine appeared to have been snapped in a crooked direction. Hailey recognized the battered forms of Susan Bones and Seamus Finnegan, who looked to still be just clinging onto life. Several others had fallen that Hailey had not recognized, on both sides. 

"Glorious isn't it," whispered a manic voice and as she made her way into the next corridor, she saw the manic face of Bellatrix Lestrange, who had an unknown second year spinning in the air, his head flopping from side to side like a top. 

Bellatrix turned as she faced Hailey, as Hailey pulled out her wand, but a fight against someone like her was something that even Hailey was not confident about. 

"Well if it isn't Harry Potter's younger sister," cooed Bellatrix as she released her hold on the second year and he flew across the hallway, cracking against the wall. Blood splattered in every direction but Bellatrix paid that development little mind. "Dumbledore fell first and then Potter, I didn't think Draco had it in him, but I guess I was wrong."

Hailey stepped back and aimed a cutting curse right at Bellatrix's arm, attempting to catch her off guard but Bellatrix calmly blocked it before she hoisted Hailey off the ground and jerked her wand back, causing Hailey to fly backwards and land on the ground. 

"You've just made a big mistake, little girl," said Bellatrix as she raised her wand, calmly kicking Hailey's out of her reach. "Let me teach you a lesson that you'll never forget. CRUCIO!" 

Hailey screamed in agony as Bellatrix punished her with the Cruciatus Curse, every nerve in her body feeling like they were on fire. When Darthmorth had put her under the curse last year, it was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling right now. 

Sirius conjured a stone shield to block the attack, before he whipped the shield around, blasting the Death Eater that he was fighting right in the face. The Death Eater's mask broke off and a net wrapped up the Death Eater, causing him to be unable to fight out. Quickly, Sirius moved over to help Bill Weasley and his fellow curse breaker, Conrad Peters, who were struggling against the combined forces Rookwood and Mulciber. With expert reflects, Sirius managed to distract the Death Eaters by sending a blinding blast of light into their eyes. A pair of thick ropes were shot out of the wands, but they wrapped around the air, as the two Death Eaters blasted a statue in the way before they crawled into the hole in the wall, attempting to escape. 

"Those two, we can't get them away," muttered Conrad but a loud horrified scream echoed throughout the hallway, one that Bill recognized at once. 

"Ginny," said Bill in a horrified voice, he knew that his sister would have never been that way, unless she had been in real trouble and he quickly bolted down the hallway. The other two would have followed Bill but another pair of Death Eaters had staggered down the hallway, obviously just having escaped capture. 

"Let go of me!" yelled Ginny as she swung her legs, attempting to blast her enemy in the face, but she found herself face to face with the blood thirsty Fenrir Greyback, who looked his lips at her. 

"Feisty, I like that," said Greyback in a predatory manner as he hoisted Ginny up with a surprising amount of strength by the arm with only one hand. "I bet you wished your little boyfriend would have killed me when he had the chance and it is a shame that the Malfoy boy looks to have finished him off, I would have liked to have a taste of him."

Greyback licked his lips, his eyes glaring with menace as Ginny swung at him but Greyback was smart enough to stand back to not get hurt. Baring his teeth, with Ginny's face just several inches from his face but a large jet of fire seared his arm. Greyback dropped Ginny in surprise as he saw Bill standing there, with his wand aimed. 

Greyback crouched down on all fours before he sprung at Bill but Bill avoided his attack, blasting Greyback out of mid air. Greyback pulled himself up but his arms and legs were quickly fastened together and he fell to the ground. 

"Harry's…" stated Ginny. 

"I know, I heard Malfoy," said Bill quietly, as no one had seen or heard from Harry in an hour and they had all suspected the worst. "I'm sorry…"

"No Bill, let me finish, I think Harry's still alive, I can feel him briefly, but he's nearly faded out a couple of times," answered Ginny quickly and Bill looked at her with an odd look. "I'm not going insane Bill, really…"

"Okay Ginny, I believe you," said Bill quickly at the look on his little sister's face, as she seemed determined to believe that Harry was still alive and perhaps she was right, Bill had no way to verify the accuracy of his sister's story. 

A loud ripping sound and Greyback broke Bill's restraints. The nasty werewolf rose to his feet and turned to both Weasleys, with a nasty glare, bearing his yellow teeth. 

"Sorry to interrupt this touching family moment, but I wasn't finished eating," growled Greyback nastily, as he pounced and knocked Ginny and Bill backwards. The two Weasleys hit the ground, and Greyback considered Ginny, before he looked towards Bill who reached for his wand but Greyback grabbed it out from his grasp and turned to Ginny, who attempted to aim a punch at Greyback, but he caught it. "This one looks much meatier, I'll save you for dessert my dear."

Greyback flung Ginny to the side with raw power before he made his way on top of Bill, who attempted to fight him, but Greyback dug his fingernails right into the oldest Weasley brother's face. Blood dripped from Bill's face as Greyback prepared to rip Bill's skin off of his face and bounced his head off the floor once to prevent him from fighting. 

Greyback licked the blood off of his fingernails, as Ginny grabbed her wand, ignoring what felt like a couple of slightly bruised ribs, and aimed it at Greyback but Greyback gave a loud shriek of agony before it appeared he had been frozen in solid ice. Another few seconds and Greyback's frozen form shattered, as pieces of the vicious werewolf flew in every which direction.

Ginny slowly pulled herself to a standing position and looked, before a mild bit of relief spread over her.

"Harry!" cried Ginny but Harry staggered forward, wand held in his hand, as his legs buckled, barely able to stand up with the support of the wall and he looked up with Ginny with only the barest amounts of recognition. 

Lily bent over the Marauder's Map, Peter had kept on the move rather quick but she managed to locate him again, he was making on the fifth floor, and looked to be making his way towards the seventh floor. If he had made it to the Room of Requirement, there would not likely have been a chance to capture him again. The worry of what happened to Harry was evident in Lily's mind, but once she had seen Harry move on the map, her fears had been slightly put to rest. Besides, Harry would want her to go after Wormtail at all costs. 

As she consulted the map one final time, Lily froze in her tracks and made sure her eyes weren't deceiving her but the horrifying truth was staring out at her in her face. Hailey and Bellatrix were in close proximity with each other and that fact alarmed Lily to no end. Her daughter was moderately talented in magic but as much as Lily loved her daughter, she didn't have a prayer against one of the most dangerous Death Eaters that ever served Voldemort. Quickly, Lily bolted right towards that location, as fast as her legs would allow and vowed that nothing else would stand in her way. 

Theodore looked up, having finally caught up with the Death Eater that he had followed towards several corridors.

"Impressive," remarked a calm voice as Steven Nott walked into the picture and looked at his son, with a slight bow of his head and motioned for the Death Eater to stand back. 

"Father," said Theodore with thinly veiled disgust, as he stared up at his father. 

"Yes, Theodore, I must say that your abilities here show much promise," said Steven Nott. "They would show much more promise under the watchful eye of the Dark Lord, so I give you one last chance, join the Dark Lord, you could be great."

"Yes, exactly how great is a group of people who ruthlessly torture those who are weaker than them," retorted Theodore dryly as he faced his father, never breaking eye contact. 

"It's sad that you've been blinded by Potter's rhetoric," said Steven Nott and quickly, an organ explosion curse was sent right at his son's heart, but the shield Theodore put up had absorbed much of the brunt of the curse. 

Theodore aimed a bludgeoning curse right at his father's skull but the elder Nott dodged and sent a bone shattering curse right back. The curse blasted Theodore right across the top of the head and a loud sickening crack signaled the shattering of the younger Nott's skull. Theodore dropped, unable to move as Steven Nott turned to face his son, with a sneer on his face as he raised his wand. 

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" yelled the elder Nott callously as a jet of green light had caught Theodore in the chest. The life exited Theodore's eyes as he dropped to the ground, dead, as Steven Nott stepped away from his son, not with the slightest amount of remorse. 

Harry shakily made his way over towards Bill and Ginny, as his legs began to buckle and Ginny quickly moved over, catching Harry, before he collapsed to the ground. 

"Malfoy…poisoned…dagger," rasped Harry before he looked at Bill. "Help him…forget me."

"We'll get someone to help Bill, I'll stay with you, I'm not going to let anything happen to you," said Ginny in a shaky voice as Harry looked up at her. "You would have done the same for me, after all…"

"No, poison…consuming…no time…can still save him…" muttered Harry, who looked absolutely delirious, his eyes flickering madly and Ginny wondered if Harry even knew what he had done to Greyback, as Harry's legs dragged under him, with Ginny being the only thing holding Harry up, as he shifted, Ginny saw a handle sticking briefly out of Harry's pocket, wrapped in cloth and her curiosity was picked. "Harry, exactly what is that thing?"

"Dagger…that Malfoy…poisoned…" stated Harry in a weak voice, breathing heavily as his eyes flicked out of focus. "Pocketed it on a whim…don't know…no use."

"Harry, if the poison is in the dagger, then an antidote can be made," said Ginny in a half-reassuring, half-worried voice, as she bent down to check on Bill as she sent her Patronus down the hallway, hoping to attract the attention of someone who would be of help. 

"Get…Bill…help…don't..worry," gasped Harry as Ginny opened her mouth to protest, realizing that if she was in the same position and one of Harry's brothers or Hailey, were injured, she'd also insist that Harry would get them help first. 

"Ginny, are you…" stated Sirius as he raced into the scene before he stopped looking down at Bill, who looked viciously maimed from Greyback and then gasped when he saw Harry who looked very pale, as he clung onto Ginny to just allow his feet to drag across the ground. "Merlin, what happened?"

"Greyback, Sirius, listen, get Bill out of here, before someone finishes him off," said Ginny in a panicked voice. "I'm going to stay with Harry, he's been poisoned by Malfoy, now go Sirius, this is important."

Sirius nodded slowly, casting a worried eye at his godson but he knew that Harry was in good hands with Ginny. Levitating Bill up, Sirius cautiously transported him to the hospital wing. 

"Everything burns, hurts to move," muttered Harry in agony. 

"It's alright Harry, I'm here, everything's going to be fine," said Ginny but just as those words were spoken, a pair of Death Eaters made their way out of a secret passageway and moved towards Harry and Ginny, with menacing looks upon their faces. 

Harry couldn't even lift his arm to defend himself at this point, as the poison still attempted to put Harry out for good, so Ginny raised her wand and animated a suit of armor off towards the side. The armor sprung out and attacked the two Death Eaters. The Death Eaters yelped, as the attack caught them off guard but in a blink of the eye, they teamed up and blasted the suit of armor into pieces. 

"We're getting out of here, hang on Harry!" yelled Ginny as she waved her wand right at the stairway off to the side. The stairs snapped together and formed a slide, before Ginny grabbed Harry by the arm and quickly sat both of them down, before they slid down to parts unknown, with the curses of their Death Eater adversaries sailing high above their heads as they made their way down and out of sight. 

Sirius walked off, just barely managing to get Bill to the Hospital Wing without being seen. It was the only part of the castle that didn't seem to be swarming with Death Eaters but now that the oldest Weasley was safely in the care of Madam Pomfrey, Sirius could rejoin the battle. 

A squeak was heard and Sirius spotted a very familiar rat streaking by on the floor. Instinctively, Sirius stepped in front of the rat, that quickly turned into the form of Peter Pettigrew, who stepped back. 

"S-s-s-irus, fancy meeting you here," stuttered Peter. "His followers, they've gone too far, only meant to get the young Malfoy boy, but too many…I've realized now the mistake I've made."

"Wormtail, I'm not in the mood for your games," replied Sirius coldly as he raised his wand. "If I didn't need you to clear my name, you'd be dead, is that clear?"

"Yes, Sirius, please don't hurt me…" stated Peter, cowering slightly which caused Sirius to back off, with his wand raised but the second Sirius took his eye off of Peter slightly, the sneaky wizard caught Sirius right in the side with a vicious curse. Sirius dropped down to the ground, in agony, it appeared as if his appendix was on the verge of bursting and Peter turned back into a rat, before he scurried off as quickly as he came, leaving Sirius for dead. 

Hailey breathed heavily, blood dripping from the girl's mouth as Bellatrix broke the Cruciatus Curse before she found herself flung from one side to the room to the other, causing her to crash into pieces of furniture in the corridor, as Bellatrix just slowly and casually battered her, with the all too real indication that Bellatrix could end it at any time. 

Hailey collapsed to the ground, as blood dripped from her mouth. She attempted to pull herself up, but her wand arm was broken and it was very difficult to pull herself to a standing position. 

"Ah, did that hurt, well I just make it worse," cooed Bellatrix in a mock voice. "CRUCIO!"

Hailey shrieked in agony as Bellatrix punished her, with a smug look on her face. It would only be a matter of seconds before she would be driven completely mad by the pain. 

Bellatrix was suddenly struck in the back by a curse and flung across the corridor, just barely bracing herself before she landed right on her head. Like a blur, Lily rushed in and blasted Bellatrix backwards with pure raw magic, causing Bellatrix to nearly be put through a stone wall, the force of which rattled the entire school. Blood dripped to the ground, Bellatrix clutching her eye but just barely managed to deflect another attempt and quickly sent a spell back at Lily, before she scurried down the hallway. 

Lily turned her attention to her daughter, who could barely move and she rushed over.

"Hailey, please speak to me, say something," said Lily in a worried voice. 

"Mummy, I'm fine," muttered Hailey in a slightly childish voice. "Don't worry about me…"

"I do Hailey," replied Lily softly. "Both of you, you're both so headstrong, you won't sit back and not help and I'm afraid that something will happen one day…"

"Harry, is he…" whispered Hailey. 

"He's moved on the map, Ginny's with him," said Lily. 

"Good," murmured Hailey quietly and at that moment, Luna, Neville, and Hermione made their way into the corridor, looking a bit battered. They stopped and gasped when they saw the state of Hailey. 

"What happened?" asked Hermione in a hushed voice. 

"Bellatrix Lestrange," replied Lily darkly, which caused Neville and Hermione to both narrow their eyes. "She's been allowed unchecked for too long and…"

"We understand," said Luna with a calm nod. "We'll look after Hailey, won't we and you do what you need to do, Professor Potter."

"Thank you," said Lily quickly as she left, wand in her hand and her eyes filled with absolute anger and she made her way down the hallway, leaving Luna, Neville, and Hermione with Hailey. 

Bellatrix staggered down the hallway, she could barely see out of her right eye and the effects of a concussion were evident. Placing her wand to her throat, she amplified her voice so the entire castle could hear her.

"ALL DEATH EATERS, GET TO THE SEVENTH FLOOR NOW!" shrieked Bellatrix loudly.

"Wait a minute, I thought we were supposed to stay until we got our hands on the Malfoy brat," protested a Death Eater, but Bellatrix turned at him, her right eye nearly swollen shut. 

"That was before the Mudblood lost her mind and attempted to murder me!" screamed Bellatrix in a manic voice and she spotted Lily making her way down the hallway, wand raised and a murderous rage in her emerald eyes. 

With a shove, Bellatrix pushed the Death Eater in Lily's path, causing him to shriek out in agony as he was ripped in half, blood splattering on Bellatrix's back as she retreated. Bellatrix made her way towards the passageway, knowing all too well that the Mudblood was on her tail and not caring how many of the Dark Lord's followers she murdered in her quest. 

Ginny and Harry were at the bottom of the slide. As she looked into her eyes, Ginny reasoned that he didn't look too well. He needed to get an antidote as soon as possible. 

"Harry, do you have the Portus-Amulet," said Ginny, nearly kicking herself about forgetting about it, but the obvious answer had slipped her mind in all of the chaos. 

"Yes," muttered Harry weakly, as he managed to summon up enough strength to pull it out. By all rights, he should have died by now, but it was almost something was keeping him anchored to the physical world. 

Ginny gently grabbed Harry by the hand and tapped her wand to the Portus-Amulet, to pull both of the teenagers towards the Hospital Wing. 

A group of Death Eaters made their way to the Room of Requirement, filing in one by one, as Bellatrix attempted to push her way through.

"Out of my way, that psychotic bitch is going to kill me!" cried Bellatrix. "I'm the Dark Lord's most valued follower, let me through…"

Most of the Death Eaters seemed very interested in departing. 

Sorry, Lestrange, but The Ministry's arrived," informed one of the Death Eaters, before he entered the Room of Requirement. 

"The Ministry is nothing!" yelled Bellatrix but she saw several Death Eaters staggered forward, before they dropped right at their the ground, razor sharp arrows implanted in their back. Bellatrix attempted to move towards the Room of Requirement, but a magical force yanked her backwards.

Bellatrix dropped down to the ground and attempted to pull herself up. 

"CRUCIO!" yelled Bellatrix, desperately, aiming her wand at Lily but Lily screamed in agony for a few seconds, before she pushed forward and sent Bellatrix right into a suit of armor, with blood splattering upwards as Bellatrix's head cracked against it. 

"You just attacked someone I care about for the last time, you bitch!" yelled Lily as Bellatrix felt a foreign emotion, a bit of fear as she looked up and no Death Eaters seemed to want to be able to help her. 

"Look, please, you can't kill me, what would James say if he realized the woman he married had turned into a murder?" asked Bellatrix, attempting to get the Mudblood to see reason.

"CRUCIO!" cried Lily, losing her temper, how dare Bellatrix attempt to bring up James just to save her skin and Bellatrix screamed in agony, the curse she had favored so many times being brought back at her. "Doesn't feel nice, does it?" 

"Please, show some mercy," begged Bellatrix. 

"Oh like the mercy you showed Frank and Alice, like the mercy you showed my parents, Hermione and her parents, Harry, Hailey, Ginny, Sirius, and everyone else you've attacked!" yelled Lily angrily. "You deserve no pity, no remorse. CRUCIO!" 

Bellatrix once again screamed in agony. 

"Lily what are you doing?" asked calm voice and Lily turned only slightly enough to see Snape standing right there in numb shock. 

"I'm doing what the Ministry doesn't have the guts to do," replied Lily in a chilling voice. 

"Stop before you do something you regret," said Snape and Lily just angrily glared at him. "Lily, you are better than this and…"

"I suppose I should just let Bellatrix run off, attack more innocent children and commit more murder," said Lily in a dangerous voice. "Don't you dare tell me what to do, Snape, it's not like you give a damn anyway."

Snape stepped back, he had only seen Lily this angry once before and he had been the unfortunate victim of her anger. 

"If you continue to do this, you'll be only as bad as her," said Snape softly. 

"And if I allow her to go, I'll be worse then her, Severus," countered Lily in an equally soft tone as Bellatrix looked to be barely conscious from the two Cruciatus curses.

"What happened to that sweet eleven year old girl that wanted to learn about magic, but wouldn't hurt a fly?" asked Snape calmly. 

"She died a long time ago when her best friend shunned her to join up with more acceptable friends, pity you didn't care enough to notice," said Lily coldly. "Now don't you have to you kiss your master's robes or something, Snape."

"The Dark Lord isn't the issue here," answered Snape. "It's about doing the right thing…"

"After all you've done, you've got a lot of fucking nerve telling me to do the right thing!" cried Lily hysterically, black sparks shooting out of her wand as she pointed it at Snape but she turned her back as Bellatrix, the dark witch bolted straight to the Room of Requirement.

Lily swooped in, knocking Snape to the ground in a burst of raw emotionally charged magic and aimed at Bellatrix. Bellatrix's agonized screams filled Lily's ears, as the dark witch's wand arm was sliced off, just seconds before she made it into the Room of Requirement and Lily turned her attempt towards Snape, it was his fault that Bellatrix had escaped. Lily would have finished her off. Snape had wisely decided to slip away when Lily had her back turned. 

Seconds later, Lily saw a rat scurry towards the door of the Room of Requirement, she recognized it at once and the rat suddenly froze in his tracks, being struck with a stasis charm. Lily bent down, picking the rat up by the tail and pulling it up, before she conjured a small cage and charmed it against the transformation back to human. In an instant, Lily placed the rat inside before she walked off. 

Bellatrix Lestrange might have escaped with her life, but another Death Eater was about to answer for his crimes.


	40. Chapter 40: The Price of War

**Chapter Forty: The Price of War**

The aftermath was perhaps worse than the battle that raged inside Hogwarts. Once the Death Eaters had fled, those left inside of Hogwarts got an accurate assessment of the damage. Many were being brought into the hospital wing, clinging onto life, hoping to get treatment from the Healers that were summoned into Hogwarts when the smoke cleared before it was too late, for others, it was much too late. 

Ginny watched as a third year student was carried past her. The girl looked to have suffered many nasty injuries and her hope for recovery seemed slim at best. On the bed next to her chair, lied Harry, in a severely weakened state from the poison, several beds down laid Hailey, who had suffered prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse and looked like she had seen better days. Bill had really taken a beating at the vile hands of Greyback, his face mangled beyond all recognition and hushed whispers indicated that his skull was shattered in such a way that it would be too risky to repair, even with magic. In a way, Ginny felt guilty, if she had not been so consumed with finding Harry, she would not been attacked by Greyback, and Bill would not been in this state. 

"Ginny," said a soft voice and Ginny's eyes snapped up, to see Lily standing there, who looked like she had aged fifteen years in the last hour. "Have the others came back yet?"

"Hermione, Luna, and Neville just checked in, Ron did too, come to think of it" replied Ginny calmly. "Daphne and Theodore, no one seems to know where they're at."

"The castle is being checked for more injured and…" stated Lily, who seemed unable to finish her sentence. "It's a nightmare, I remember hearing for seven years Hogwarts was safe when I went but what I've heard from Harry and indeed, what happened tonight, Hogwarts is not the fortress we grew up to believe."

"Everyone thought that, and other than the first opening of the Chamber of Secrets, it was until six years ago," said Ginny. "Everyone has it in for Harry, it's not fair!"

"No," agreed Lily. "Harry thought he had everything under control tonight, he couldn't have seen Bellatrix's plan happening, Draco was who he kept an eye on all year, all indications pointed to him being behind anything."

"He was the one who stabbed Harry with the accursed dagger, so he might not have been behind the attack, but he planned on murdering Harry, so Harry was right in the way," said Ginny in a tired voice. "Any luck with an antidote by the way?"

"Yes, the venom was very rare, it's quite lucky I recognized it and the antidote is simple enough to make, but the fact that Harry was able to fight it off for so long is the real oddity," said Lily. "All cases that I've heard of, is that the victim succumbs within seconds."

"Don't care, as long as Harry is alive," muttered Ginny, as she held Harry's hand, he was barely able to breath or move, the poison had done it's horrible work and as far as they knew, Malfoy had managed to slip through the cracks. 

"The antidote should be ready in about fifteen minutes," said Lily, as she looked down at Harry in an apprehensive manner. 

"Please last that long Harry," whispered Ginny softly, as Harry gave a feeble breath, it looked like he was struggling with every second. "Hang on, Harry, I know you can do it."

"Yes, Harry, we know you can," added a calm voice and Ginny looked up, to see Luna standing there. 

"Hi Luna," said Ginny in a feeble voice. "Sorry if I don't seem in the mood to socialize but…"

"Giving all that has happened tonight, that's understandable," said Luna calmly. "Mistakes were made, perhaps Harry should have never pushed for Draco to get reinstated. I mean, he did hit Harry with the Cruciatus Curse a couple of years ago and as much as we hold out hope for change, those like Draco aren't going to change, ever."

"If it was just Malfoy, we would not have been in the state, how none of us managed to catch onto Bellatrix being under our nose the entire year, looking back the signs were there," said Ginny. 

"I know Professor Trelawney's mysterious disappearance and reappearance, her slightly stranger behavior this year, but considering the fake Moody, none of us could have imagined that Voldemort would try the same thing twice," responded Luna. 

"That's what makes it the perfect plan with Voldemort's demented psyche, we would assume that no rational person would use the same exact plan twice," said Lily as she checked her watch. "I'm going to check on the antidote, I'll come back with it, contact me right away if it's important."

Ginny nodded, her eyes not leaving Harry's face for one second and just as Lily left, Ginny watched her parents come in, along with Fred, George, Ron, and much to her surprise Percy. They entered the hospital wing, and Ginny watched her mother make her way towards Bill, with a horrified look etched on her face, as she looked down at her oldest son. 

"No, Bill, how could this have happened!" cried Molly. "Fred and George said…but I would have never thought…"

Molly collapsed in a chair, in utter hysterics and Arthur moved towards his daughter, before he leaned down towards her. 

"The Ministry is in an uproar, for good reason, many people were injured, blame is being laid in all directions, some with Harry unfortunately as well," said Arthur in a quiet voice, as he leaned down. "What happened anyway?" 

"I was attacked by Greyback, Bill saved me, he got injured, if Harry hadn't came in time, Greyback was about to move into the kill," explained Ginny in a shaky voice, choosing her words carefully, leaving out the part of Harry freezing Greyback and shattering him.

"What happened to Greyback?" barked Percy in a pompous voice, not bothering to have one look at his brother. "Was he among the escaped Death Eaters?"

"I don't know, I was more concerned with the state of Bill and Harry," said Ginny, as she at Percy, who hadn't bothered to give her the time of day for over two years, but at barged in and demanded answer. Now that Ginny remembered, her dad had said Percy had gotten a new position at the Ministry of Magic, another fairly high up position, which was interesting considering he had been fired not even a year. 

"Well, I say that if you hadn't been so foolish, a dangerous fugitive would not have had gotten away," said Percy. "I was sent here on behalf of Chief Auror Thicknesse, to investigate what had happened here today, the rumors of the Death Eaters, most likely lead by the fugitive Sirius Black, who had been rumored to have been here…"

"So you weren't here to see how your injured, clinging onto life brother was doing," said Ginny stiffly. "Really Percy, it's no wonder that you're getting all these high ranking positions in the Ministry, you're the perfect pawn! The Ministry can feed you any line of shit and you'll believe it!"

"Ginny, please…" stated Arthur, who didn't wish to have a fight between two of his children in the hospital wing, more for his wife's sake, than his.

"Father, it's obvious she has been corrupted by that glory seeking Slytherin, most likely put under some sort of enchantment to make her love him," said Percy, as his head inclined towards Harry. "If he hadn't been so trusting of Malfoy, the school wouldn't have been overrun by You-Know-Who's minions. Most likely an inside job with Black and Malfoy…"

"You know Percy, it's really a wonder why anyone can here you talk over all those sucking up sounds you make," said Ginny coolly and Percy looked furious. "Toe the Ministry line if you want to, but when Voldemort decides he wants Wizarding Britain, it won't really matter, only one person is going to get any power."

"That won't happen, The Ministry has a plan to combat You-Know-Who," said Percy proudly. "Now, as for Black…"

"That's really none of your business," said Ginny. 

"I'm here on Ministry business, so it is my business if you are harboring a dark wizard!" yelled Percy as he roughly grabbed Ginny by the arm, but Fred, George, Ron, and Luna, who had just been standing back for most of the time, had held their wands out, towards Percy. "I see, all of you have fell under Potter's spell, he'll lead you all to your death, Ronald, I'm disappointed at you, you were the last person I suspected to blindly follow a Slytherin, I could have sworn you were going on before about how Potter was evil."

"Percy if you got out from behind your desk and opened your eyes, I stopped thinking that about Harry along time ago, in fact, he's a pretty decent guy, and I can't think of anyone better for Ginny than him," said Ron with a smile which Ginny weakly exchanged. 

"Indeed, we don't blindly follow Harry," added George. 

"In fact, we don't really follow him at all, but we'll happily accept his guidance if he wishes to give it," added Fred. 

"And it's a shame you think of Harry as nothing but a Slytherin, as the Hogwarts Houses are only something we are in for seven years, a rather slim percentage of our lives," remarked Luna wisely. "It's rather astounding that someone who received the high marks you did during your seven years of Hogwarts, could be so naïve. Yes, perhaps the best piece of evidence pointing to the fact that our school years don't matter as much as we think."

"All of you are treading down a dangerous road," said Percy stiffly. "Harry Potter will be the death of us all, all these things didn't happen until he entered the Wizarding World. He would have been better off left in New York, where the Americans can deal with him…"

"Percy, if you'll not here to visit your brother, please leave and don't come back, until you'll willing to have a more open mind," said Arthur who looked to be straining to keep his patience and looked to be seconds away of doing a good imitation of his wife. 

"Sorry, father, but I am not departing until I bring Black back to the Ministry," responded Percy in a pompous voice. 

"Do you have a written warrant?" asked Luna calmly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" demanded Percy as he stared down Luna with the trademark Weasley temper, who didn't blink "I am here on the orders of the Ministry of Magic, that should be enough to find Black."

"If you bothered to look over Ministry law, there was a clause that stated that any fifth generation pureblood can't be brought in to the Ministry, unless the full Wizengamot court gives a majority vote for a written warrant," said Luna. "I believe this law was sponsored by Lucius Malfoy, after too many purebloods were…unjustly…accused during the first reign of Lord Voldemort."

Percy didn't know what to say and he looked around for confirmation, but everyone seemed as confused as he did and they looked to Luna, who smiled, before she addressed them. 

"Daddy studied Ministry law before he decided to start up the Quibbler," confirmed Luna. "And I thought you also might like to know that any Ministry of Magic official found bringing a fifth generation or higher pureblood without a warrant will get a year in Azkaban and a five hundred galleon fine."

"How do you know you're telling the truth?" challenged Percy. 

"It's true, I may be lying, not too much unlike the Ministry," agreed Luna. "But, considering the possible consequences, are you willing to take the chance and bring in Black?" 

Percy turned, nose in the air and stormed off, no doubt back to the Ministry of Magic, and Ron turned to Luna. 

"Luna that was brilliant, feeding Percy that line, he bought it one hundred percent," praised Ron but Luna shook her head, with a slightly amused smile. 

"Actually, I was telling him the truth, it isn't very nice to lie," said Luna calmly. 

"Still, covering for Black of all people, I mean he did kill thirteen people," responded Ron and Luna and Ginny exchanged looks. 

"That's right, Ron doesn't know the secret, does he?" asked Luna as Ginny shook her head. "About Sirius Black really being innocent…"

"Wait a minute, Black is innocent, exactly how long have you know," said Ron in surprise. 

"Yes, I am rather curious to find this out myself," added Arthur, as he surveyed his daughter. 

"Second year, Harry and I managed to help Sirius escape a hundred Dementors, when the person who framed him showed his face that night," responded Ginny. 

"Dumbledore said you two were in the Hospital Wing and…" stated Arthur, remembering the letter that Dumbledore had sent them at the end of that year. While Arthur didn't trust Dumbledore as much, given the events of the diary, he felt that this particular incident didn't really give the Headmaster any reason to lie about this particular incident. "Forget it, I really don't want to know."

"We were in the hospital wing when we were saving Sirius on the grounds as well," added Ginny. "So Dumbledore was technically right and technically wrong at the same time about what had happened on that night."

"Wait, you said the real criminal showed up on that night, who was it?" asked Arthur slowly. 

"Peter Pettigrew, and before you say anything, yes he faked his death, he was an animagus, a rat, he sped down the sewers, after cutting off his finger and speeding down the sewers, after firing the spell that killed all those Muggles" explained Ginny. "He also goes by the names of Wormtail and Scabbers the rat."

It took Ron ten seconds before a horrified look appeared on his face when he realized that he had been harboring a murderer for all those years. 

"Wait…Scabbers…Pettigrew…" stammered Ron in a horrified tone, as his eyes bugged out wide. "Merlin, I thought he was just eaten by Hermione's cat…all those years…I owe her an apology, why didn't you tell me before?"

"Well, it's not exactly one of those things that come over dinnertime conversation," said Ginny dryly, as she checked on Harry and wished that Lily would hurry up with the antidote, she absolutely hated seeing Harry in miserly.

"I just talked with the healers, poor Bill, he isn't in good condition," said Molly in a shaky voice. "They'll do all they can…but…"

"This is my fault," said Ginny. "If I hadn't walked right into Greyback.."

"No, Ginny, Greyback is the only one who is responsible for what happened to Bill," said Molly firmly before her eyes widened, as she got a good look at the pale, almost lifeless face of Harry. 

"Malfoy stabbed him with a poisoned dagger," supplied Ginny. "From behind most likely…"

"Poor boy, he doesn't look too well," fretted Molly as she looked down at Harry. 

"There's an antidote of course," prompted Arthur and Ginny nodded in confirmation. 

"Yes, Lily should be coming back with it, any second now," said Ginny, who feebly wished to wake up from this nightmare, after what happened to both Bill and Harry, but it was all too obvious that this was reality. 

"Charlie should be coming soon, he's having a difficult time getting away from the work he's doing at the dragon preserve right now," said Molly, changing the subject, with Ginny nodding calmly. 

"Any progress with Harry," said a voice and Ginny looked up to see a very tired looking Hermione standing in the doorway.

"Lily's making the antidote, she should be here," said Ginny, as she looked towards the doorway. "I thought Daphne and Theodore would be with you."

"People are looking for them right now, they might have gotten severely injured in the fighting and are isolated, unable to get to the hospital wing," responded Hermione and it was rather disturbing that this was the most hopeful outcome, but it was strange that they hadn't heard from either of them right now. 

Right then, Tonks and another member of Harry's resistance group that Ginny didn't recognize off hand, made their way into the Hospital Wing, with extremely grave expressions on their faces.

"Tonks, what is it?" asked Hermione. 

"We found Daphne and Theodore," said Tonks in a shaky voice and Ginny knew right then that something bad had most certainly happened. 

"You mean, they're…" stated Hermione in an alarmed voice. 

"I'm sorry, but it looks like the Death Eaters got them hours ago," responded Tonks. 

"They're bringing them in right now, with the others who have perished," said the other member of the resistance group. "Their families will be contacted."

Hermione sobbed, along with Harry, Daphne and Theodore had been her first friends ever and now, they were dead. Seconds later, she watched them being gently carried in, she gasped and she wasn't the only one. Daphne's throat was crushed, no doubt the victim of the asphyxiation curse, as her rigid body was carried past. Theodore seemed to be a bit better off, no doubt the victim of a well placed Killing Curse. Hermione wanted to look away, but she could not look away at her fallen friends. 

"It's horrible," whispered Hermione. "They can't be dead but…"

"It's only begun," said Lily who had arrived in the hospital wing, with a vile containing the antidote in her hand. "They shouldn't have died but the price of war is staggering. Those who remember the last war know what happened and Voldemort isn't likely to change."

Both of the Weasley parents nodded, reluctantly agreeing, the last war had been bad, Voldemort and his Death Eaters had run over everyone in their path, they lost many close to them and many others were injured to the point where their lives were never the same. The shadows of Voldemort's last attempt for to gain control of all of Magical Britain still loomed years after his campaign had been concluded, the world at large wasn't ready for this. There only hope lied in a boy who wasn't even of age, the only one who was willing not to let Voldemort roll over him and that was of course Harry Potter. 

"So, the antidote and not a moment too so," muttered Lily darkly as she popped open the vile, and gently opened Harry's mouth, helping him swallow the antidote with a charm, as he was too weakened to do so himself. "Now, it will be able to fully counteract the poison."

"Exactly how long will it take?" asked Ginny quietly. 

"It will take a few hours before the antidote completely eliminates the poison, but further spread of it will be contained," said Lily. "Harry will be weakened for about a week after that and will be limited on exactly how much he can physically do."

Lily paused, she didn't really want this for either of them, but much like her generation, the mistakes of the previous generation had caused the current one to suffer. If they had worked harder to finish Voldemort off the first time and not relied blindly on Dumbledore's plan, they would not be in the situation they were currently in. 

"On a more happy note, I did manage to get Pettigrew," said Lily and Ginny's eyes perked up. "The Ministry already did clear Sirius on the charges that he betrayed us to Voldemort, but without Peter, it was difficult to get Sirius cleared…"

"Now with Wormtail, the Ministry will be forced to give him a trial," concluded Ginny who wasn't able to enjoy this news as much as she would liked to with all that had happened today. 

"Pettigrew nearly made sure that Sirius didn't live long enough, with that accelerated appendicitis curse that he struck him with earlier," remarked Lily, as she craned her neck upwards to a bed slightly removed from everything else, that a rather weakened, but still alive Sirius was laying, recovering from having his appendix removed. 

"I don't think I can take another surprise today," said Ginny weakly. 

"Yes, this day has been unfortunate and way too long, it seems like no one comes through that door without bringing bad news," said Luna, who projected her usual calmness but if one looked closely, she was as shaken up with what happened today as was everyone else.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN DUMBLEDORE WAS KILLED?" demanded the voice of Professor McGonagall who sounded absolutely horrified and this unexpected outburst had caused Lily to rise to her feet, and step outside to see what was happening. "No, of all the people…"

Lily stopped and saw several people stepping forward, the motionless body of Dumbledore levitated above them and Lily's eyes widened in shock. While she didn't trust Dumbledore and for good reason after what he had done, he was one of the last people who she suspected to see dead after the carnage of the castle, but there his lifeless form was, flopping in mid air, no movement present. 

"How did this happen, Minerva?" asked Lily. 

"I don't know," said McGonagall. "After all the students were killed today, word is that the Ministry will already shut this place down, the Board of Governors is meeting about it, but with Dumbledore no parent will want to sent their children here…"

"Yes, it does look bad," admitted Lily. "We can't let one death defeat us…"

"But the problem it isn't just one death, there are many and Dumbledore might have just been the straw that broke the Hippogriff's back," said McGonagall stiffly. "I don't know what future we'll have at Hogwarts…"

"I'll stay here and I know others will, as long as we are able to maintain control of the school," responded Lily and McGonagall nodded slowly, as the future of Hogwarts seemed a bit uncertain without Dumbledore. While the younger generation were the one's for the most part felt Harry was their only hope, many still looked at Dumbledore as the shining beacon of hope, the one who would pull an amazing solution out and rid the world of Voldemort for good, but now his death might throw most of magical Britain into a panic, which would only serve to benefit one person. 

Lily returned to the Hospital Wing, as the others looked at her.

"Someone killed Dumbledore," responded Lily as the others gasped, even though many of them had learned that Dumbledore was not the great man he portrayed himself to be, it was still shocking. 

"Without Dumbledore, as questionable as some of his more recent actions are…" muttered Molly under her breath and Arthur seemed beyond all words. 

"Like him or not, Dumbledore's mere presence kept Voldemort's plans in check," said Lily sadly.

"A more dangerous Voldemort then ever before, as there is only one person who may be able to stop him," said Hermione as she looked at Harry. 

"If anyone can, Harry can," voiced George, as the others nodded in agreement. 

"Still, it's not exactly the most pleasant position to be, to know that you're the only person between a mad man and the safety of hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of people," said Luna. "Most would fold easily when put in that kind of position, but it is fortunate that Harry isn't like most."

"Thankfully," said Ginny. 

At the empty Malfoy Manor, Draco Malfoy pushed open the doors to allow himself inside and quickly made his way up the stairs, towards his room, with a smug look on his face. Not only had he been able to finish off Potter once and for all, but he avoided being captured by all sides, whether it be Dumbledore's, Potter's, or even the Dark Lord's, making it out of the school and to Hogsmeade, where he was able to travel home easily. Sure, it was more than likely that everyone would be after his blood for the death of Potter, for different reasons, but if he was hit with the Killing Curse the next time him blinked, he could die happy as above everyone else, Draco Malfoy was the wizard who had finished Harry Potter. 

Entering his room, Draco flicked on the Wizarding Wireless sitting on a table, to hear of the latest news, no doubt everyone would be talking about Potter's loss. 

"Word from Hogwarts is that Albus Dumbledore has been found, murdered within the own school," declared the announcer and Draco stood up rigid, it was an unexpected bonus that Dumbledore had been killed, no doubt all the blood traitors and Mudbloods would be in a state of panic because of both of their heroes being struck down. "The Board of Governors is having an emergency meeting, at this latest death, as we wonder exactly if Hogwarts is the safe haven it has been rumored to be. Uncertainty continues to reign, as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named no doubt orchestrated the grisly events of this evening that left several students brutally murdered and others injured, including the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter, who will make a full recovery being poisoned with a deadly venom by Draco Malfoy, who is wanted by the Ministry, a five thousand galleon fine for any information about his whereabouts. In other news…"

"Potter lives!" shouted Draco angrily, as he blasted a hole through his wall with the wand, there should have been no way that Potter would have survived what happened, even someone has powerful as he was would have been killed within five minutes at the most and as far as Draco could gather, the battle raged on for an hour to about ninety minutes. 

Quickly, Draco waved his wand, gathering up all of the possessions he could, along with a stash of Galleons that he had left in a bag under his bed for emergency purposes. He had no choice but to flee. The Dark Lord, the Ministry, Potter, and maybe even Dumbledore's associates, would all be after his head, he was a wizard with no friends, no allies, and until he plotted his next move, the only choice would be to keep on the move. 

With everything gathered, Draco bolted from Malfoy Manor, where he did not know or care, just somewhere far away from the chaos of Wizarding Britain. 

In Hogwarts, it was late at night and Lily walked through the hallways, the teachers were to do one last sweep for injured or dead, as there were still a few students that were unaccounted for. While the possibility was voiced that those students might have joined the side of the Death Eaters and fled when they did, McGonagall still wanted to search and Lily agreed, as she wanted to get away from the Hospital Wing for a few hours, as it was becoming a rather morbid place to be in.

At the sound of footsteps coming in an otherwise deserted corridor, Lily's body stiffened and she held her wand out, as she saw Snape step out of the shadows, his wand drawn in a threatening manner, as he advanced on Lily, his face full of conflict. 

"I suggest you don't fight, your death won't be as painful," said Snape in a calm, emotionless tone of voice. 

"So, you are supposed to kill me," responded Lily coolly as she stared down Snape. "Your Master put you up to this, didn't he?"

"The Dark Lord has nothing to do what I'm about to do," responded Snape. 

"I wasn't referring to that master," said Lily and Snape looked surprised. "I did find it peculiar that you would blindly follow Dumbledore, as when you were a student at Hogwarts, you didn't trust him at all."

Snape just remained standing there, the Killing Curse was on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it. 

"Dumbledore forced you under an oath for your freedom, I'm guessing an Unbreakable Vow," said Lily and Snape didn't move, afraid to do anything that would break the vow. "Judging by your body language, Dumbledore really isn't dead, is he? He faked his death tonight, otherwise you would be free to do what you please, regardless of the vow."

"I can't confirm or deny anything," responded Snape stiffly. 

"All the pieces fit together well enough with you having to," said Lily. "You didn't have the money to buy your way out of Azkaban like others, so you had to turn to Dumbledore, you were scared, you didn't want to face the mistakes you made, you were nothing but a pathetic coward."

"I'm not a coward!" yelled Snape, breaking emotion for the first time. 

"You are a coward of the worst kind, you joined Voldemort because it was the easy thing to do, because you just couldn't stand up to people who were only befriending you because of how skilled you were in the dark arts and then you turned to Dumbledore to escape Azkaban," added Lily. "I'm ashamed at you and I'm most certainly ashamed at myself, because I thought you were decent at one time, but I guess I was wrong."

"Like you were perfect, you spewed every bit of venom you could at Potter for six years and then you ended up dating and then marrying him, because he changed or to be more accurate, he put on an act and you fell for it just like everyone else," said Snape. 

"Well, at least James cared enough to talk to me, to make sure I was okay after my parents died and don't you dare give me that excuse about how you couldn't be seen talking to me because of your little Death Eater chums!" snapped Lily as Snape held the wand, his hand shaking. "Go ahead, Snape, prove that you're a coward and can't do the right thing, kill me. It's two simple words Snape and I won't try to defend myself."

Snape just stood there, staring at Lily with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" demanded Lily. 

"You know what, I'm not going to kill you and with my last breath, I prove you wrong by doing the right thing," responded Snape. "Dumbledore did remove memories from your head the night that the Dark Lord lost his body, they are in his office along with two of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes and…"

Snape just managed to get those words out quickly enough before a black light engulfed him and he collapsed to the ground, as Lily leapt back in surprise. 

Severus Snape had been killed for the backlash of breaking the Unbreakable Vow.

**And we end on that note with five more chapters to go in Heart of the Warrior Book VI. **


	41. Chapter 41: The Truth About Dumbledore

Chapter Forty One: The Truth About Dumbledore:

**Chapter Forty One: The Truth About Dumbledore:**

Lily stood in the hallway, her eyes widened as she stood in numb shock, looking down at Snape. Dumbledore and Snape did in fact have an Unbreakable Vow and by giving her the information he just did, Snape had just broken it at the cost of his life. In the end, Severus did the most selfless thing ever, even though Lily had lost hope that he would do the right thing years ago.

"Someone help!" yelled Lily and she heard footsteps down the hallway, as McGonagall rushed in at the commotion and she was taken aback by the sight of the motionless body of Snape.

"Merlin, what happened here?" asked McGonagall in an alarmed voice.

"Severus…broke vow…unbreakable…caused death," stammered Lily who was shaken up but at the same time, needed to get to Dumbledore's office quickly, because if Dumbledore was still in Hogwarts, he may soon find out that Snape had done something to break the Vow and thus Dumbledore would be on the defensive big time.

"Severus made an Unbreakable Vow and did something to break it," repeated McGonagall as she surveyed Lily, and Lily nodded stiffly.

"Yes right after he told me something that he shouldn't have, he collapsed and stopped breathing," confirmed Lily quickly, not wanting to look at Snape, as she felt partially responsible for baiting Snape into ending his life. "Anyway, I need to go…there is something that might be of help to defeat Voldemort that Snape told me about."

McGonagall opened her mouth to ask about this but Lily had already made her way down a passageway that she knew was a shortcut to Dumbledore's office, both of the Horcruxes Snape indicated and her missing memories on her mind. In little time flat, Lily arrived at the gargoyle, which sprung open immediately as she arrived. Normally, Lily would have found this a bit peculiar but she was on a mission.

With her wand raised, she pushed the door open and entered Dumbledore's office. On Dumbledore's desk, she spotted a book under a stack of papers and old editions of the Daily Prophet. Upon closer inspection, Lily saw that the book matched the description of the diary that Riddle had used to possess Ginny into opening the Chamber of Secrets during the previous year. Carefully, Lily waved her wand, encasing the book in a stasis field, before she flicked her wrist, transporting it safely to her office.

The second Horcrux was a bit more difficult to find but after a few moments of intense searching, Lily had located a cabinet towards the back of the office. As she pulled the doors opened, the only object inside was a pensieve. Lily leaned forward, it had the crest of Rowena Ravenclaw inside and a chilling aura around it that indicated it was the very same pensieve that Voldemort had used as a Horcrux. Much like she did with the diary, Lily secured it with a stasis charm and the pensieve joined the diary in her office.

The memories were a more difficult thing to find, as Lily searched for the better part of ten minutes and for a moment wondered if Severus had been mistaken about the fact that her memories were in the office. Those thoughts quickly faded when Lily spotted, inside a worn truck, two crystal vials, filled with a silvery liquid. The pull that she felt towards them was not like anything else, those had to be her memories. With slightly lifted spirits, Lily took the vials and gently placed them inside her robe pocket, before she left Dumbledore's office, with no need to search around any further as she found what she had came for.

In the Hospital Wing, it was in the latter part of the next morning, with Harry opening his eyes slowly, seeing Ginny sitting in a chair right beside him, her head in her hands, but her eyes flicked open in hope.

"Hi, Ginny," said Harry weakly as he began award of his place in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. "Er, why am I in the hospital wing?"

"Don't you remember Harry?" asked Ginny and Harry shook his head.

"The last thing I remembered was that I was fighting Dolohov and then nothing but black," responded Harry as he looked outside just to see the sun rising. "And that was yesterday, wasn't it?"

"You were out for almost a day Harry," said Ginny. "I thought for a moment you would…"

Ginny could not bring herself to finish her sentence. She had never seen Harry closer to death than she had. In fact, the only time Harry may have been closer was the attack by the Foot after his second year at Hogwarts, but Ginny only heard of that, not having seen what had happened.

"I'm fine Ginny and…" stated Harry before he looked over towards a bed and saw the form of Hailey stir slightly, as she looked rather battered. "What the hell happened to Hailey?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange battered her, but don't worry, she'll make it, she'll live," said Ginny in a confident voice. "As for others, I wish I could be so confident that they could live, but…Harry, I don't know how to break this to you but…"

"What happened, who is it?" asked Harry as he found himself filling with an overwhelming feeling of dread, as he wondered exactly who Ginny was referring to.

"Daphne and Theodore…they…well Harry, they were murdered by the Death Eaters that Lestrange brought into Hogwarts," sobbed Ginny, as the murders of two of her friends had finally hit her, as her mind had been preoccupied with Harry, it had really hit her.

"Dead," said Harry stiffly, before he became spookily quiet and Ginny knew exactly what Harry was thinking.

"Harry, don't you dare go blaming yourself for this, this is not your fault," lectured Ginny.

"They only were killed because they were my friends," retorted Harry in a stiff, emotionless tone. "No other reason, it could have been any one of you, but Daphne and Theodore…"

"They might have been killed anyway without you Harry," countered Ginny. "They would never join Voldemort, and you know better than anyone else that Voldemort kills anyone who stands against him, it doesn't matter who it is."

Harry just nodded. Daphne and Theodore had been the first humans that he had ever trusted, along with Hermione. It was just inconceivable that Harry would never talk to them again; he had thought they would always be there, and it opened his eyes further to the horror before him. Before now, Harry had always been able to save those closest to him and with two of his friends dead, along with his sister severely injured, it had increased Harry's hatred for Voldemort to a whole new level.

"There's more," prodded Harry, as he saw something in Ginny's eyes that indicated that she was holding back from him. "Ginny, please tell me, I promise I'm not going to blame myself, I promise."

"Bill was attacked during the fight by Greyback. It was horrible, the healers say that his skull was crushed in such a way that it would be too dangerous to repair by magic, but there is a small hope, microscopic, but Mum's really clinging onto it," said Ginny in a shaky voice as Harry gently gripped her hand in a comforting manner. "Still Harry, what you did gave that little chance, so thanks."

"You're welcome Ginny," said Harry. "I really have no idea what I did, but you're welcome."

"You froze Greyback solid and then shattered his frozen form into bits," said Ginny quietly, feeling that Harry really did need to know and Harry's expression remained neutral, as he attempted to roll slightly, but he collapsed onto the bed. "Harry, another thing, Lily said you'd be weak for a few days, as the antidote needs to flush out the poison from the dagger Malfoy used completely."

"Wait a minute, Malfoy was the reason that I'm here," said Harry and Ginny nodded, causing Harry to sigh in irritation. "For Salazar's sake, what's wrong with me, I shouldn't have let someone like Malfoy get the jump on me, and I'm supposed to be the one fighting Voldemort."

"Harry, he took advantage of you when you had your attention on a more able wizard, he got lucky," said Ginny in a reassuring voice. "I don't quite know what happened to Malfoy, but there are far more dangerous people out there to worry about. It wouldn't be a good idea for you to take a minor setback against someone like Malfoy personally."

"I suppose so Ginny," said Harry, as he began to think rationally, dwelling on Malfoy was not exactly the best thing to do. Harry would never let Malfoy catch him off guard again. He would learn from this defeat but at the same time, he wouldn't lose any sleep over it. "It's only beginning."

"I know," replied Ginny somberly. "But, we'll get through this Harry."

Harry nodded and the hospital wing door opened. Looking up, Harry spotted Gwendolyn Myers, one of the Hogwarts Board of Governors entering the Hospital Wing, with a smug expression on her face and Harry knew why.

"Congratulations Myers, Malfoy was up to something, unfortunately it was just something as simple as plotting my own murder to satisfy his need for petty revenge," said Harry dryly.

"Potter, don't make me laugh, Malfoy was responsible for bring a horde of Death Eaters into this school, killing some and injuring many, and you allowed this to happen with your blind trust for your fellow Slytherin," responded Myers coldly.

"I can't believe this, you don't really care about the students at all, all you give a damn about is your vendetta against all Slytherins!" yelled Ginny, as she rose to her feet, but Harry grabbed her hand once again to calm her down.

"On the contrary, Miss Weasley, we care about the welfare of the students very much, in fact, we should have expelled the pair of you years ago, you have lead the rest of the school down a dangerous road, several have died or were injured because of the Slytherins that participated in today's attack," said Myers.

"Listen you stupid woman, the Death Eaters were behind this attack, not Slytherins!" snapped Ginny, her eyes blazing with anger.

"There is no difference to me," responded Myers swiftly as she produced a document. "As for you Mr. Potter the official order for you to clear out of here, as per the terms of the bargain you made before this year to get your friend Draco Malfoy back into this school."

Myers handed Harry the document and Harry looked at the murderous look etched upon Ginny's face, but he shook his head, before giving Myers the courtesy of reading the document, before he looked at up at the Hogwarts Governor, calculating expression firmly etched in his eyes.

"Well Governor Myers, this looks like a perfectly magically binding document," admitted Harry as he read it over again. "And it does look like I better pack my bags and leave, at least if I was a student that was."

"What do you mean by that, Potter?" demanded Myers.

"Well, since I'm technically a Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching assistant, I would not be held to an agreement I made as a student," said Harry in a cool voice and Myers seemed enraged.

"Another thing, Professor Lily Potter overstepped her bounds when she assigned you those positions, so you, along with Miss Weasley have been stripped of your assistant jobs," said Myers. "Furthermore, Professor Potter's job performance will be reassessed at the end of year, providing of course, she lasts the remaining few weeks of the year, considering the curse on the position."

Harry just sighed he did not want to do this, but Myers had forced him to pull out his ultimate trump card. It had been quite fortunate that he was reading Slytherin's Journal recently, as a pair of entries towards the end had reminded him of some of the privileges that the heirs had. Privileges that were not common knowledge that had been lost through the annals of time and even Voldemort may not have known had it existed. Harry wished he would have remembered this last year, as it would have saved the school a lot of problems involving Umbridge.

"Well, Governor Myers, there will be no need for the Hogwarts Governors anymore, consider yourselves disbanded," said Harry in a final voice and even Ginny looked at Harry strangely, as Myers looked at Harry like he was joking.

"Potter, you must have hit your head, no one has the power to disband the Board of Governors," argued Myers but a silvery blur whizzed down the hallway towards Myers before it stopped in front of her, turning into a shield with the Hogwarts crest and it shined a bright golden color, before it began to speak.

"The will of the school has been activated, no longer will bureaucrats be allowed to make decisions regarding the students that reside within my walls," voiced the shield and Myers opened her mouth, but the shield was not finished. "The one that stands before you can very well eliminate you, it is his birthright and thus, by the will of his school, the Hogwarts Board of Governors will be no more."

"Listen here, we will not be told to…" stated Myers but the shield glowed a bright orange before it engulfed the governor in light, causing her to be removed painfully particle by particle from Hogwarts, as she screamed in pain, before she vanished. The shield spun counterclockwise seven times, before it faded into mid air.

"Harry, what just happened here?" asked Ginny in an awed voice.

"I used my power as a heir to one of the Hogwarts founders to remove the power of the Board of Governors, which was originally placed into power to help govern this school just months before Slytherin left," explained Harry. "I can remove just about everyone but unfortunately this power does have a few drawbacks. For example, I can't remove another heir from the school or anyone that has permission from that heir to be here."

"Which means you won't be able to work that magic to drive off Voldemort or his Death Eaters," concluded Ginny and Harry nodded grimly. "Well, it's a cool power, just too bad it wouldn't cast everyone out when you channeled it."

Harry nodded, before he yawned, worn out from just a simple conversation.

"Wake me off if anyone else comes by and remind me to check in with the guys and Master Splinter once I rest up a bit, to catch them up on what had happened today" yawned Harry as he drifted off, but his sleep was not without turmoil regarding the after effects of the attack by the Bellatrix Lestrange led squadron of Death Eaters. At his weakest moment, Harry wondered if he should have just let the Death Eaters take Draco but he shook those thoughts off. That sounded like something he might do and Harry vowed that he would never become like that.

The next couple of weeks went by at a mind numbing pace. Ginny reluctantly left Harry's side, only to take her O.W.Ls and Harry sternly told her that she should focus on her future, he'd be fine. Other friends and well wishers visited Harry at various times as he spent an extended period in the hospital wing, his strength slowly building up, as the poison was contained and slowly eliminated. Harry only left briefly and with great assistance, to attend the service dedicated to all of those who gave their life to Hogwarts. Harry said good bye to Daphne and Theodore, he wouldn't forget them, but at the same time, dwelling on what happened would be counterproductive. No matter what Harry suspected that they would always be in the back of his mind.

A few days before the end of the year, just a short time after Harry had been released from the Hospital Wing, Harry and Ginny were both summoned to Lily's office. By her words, it sounded rather urgent so in an instant, so as they sat down right in front of a very frantic looking Lily, who seemed rather disturbed by something that she had seen.

"Mum, what is it?" asked Harry in a concerned tone.

"I just saw something, you know I got the two Horcruxes from Dumbledore's office and put them with the others back home, but he also did retrieve memories from my mind," said Lily quietly. "And now by viewing them, I know why."

"Wait a minute, you managed to get the rest of your memories back and you didn't tell us," said Harry in surprise.

"With Ginny's O.W.Ls and your recovery, I didn't want you to dwell on it, but considering the prophecy, Harry you have to know and Ginny, since I expect Harry will tell you anyway, it would save him the trouble," said Lily quietly as she pulled out her own pensieve from a cabinet inside her desk and cracked the top open. It was empty until Lily took the vial and gently tipped the memory inside and Lily leaned inside, with Harry and Ginny copying her movement.

_The scene shifted to a shadowed corridor where a younger version of Lily stood, her eyes narrowed and her foot tapping on the floor, as she held her wand out. A contact was supposed to meet her here, about more information on Salazar Slytherin. Lily was extremely interested in learning about most reclusive of the four Hogwarts founders, especially since she uncovered the fact that Voldemort was a descendant to Slytherin. _

"_I'll make this short, I don't know how much time I have," whispered a cloaked figure in the shadows, who had an orb cradled in his arms. "Word has already reached the Dark Lord that I have possession of the orb that once belonged to his ancestor but I assure you, I did everything I could to ensure that the trail runs cold there but once you are in possession of the orb, be careful, while the Dark Lord wishes to possess this relic, others do not want the information within to be spread, it would disrupt the entire Wizarding World and inspire great anarchy if the truth was to be revealed."_

"_What's inside the orb anyway?" asked Lily curiously. _

"_No one knows, ever since Slytherin's death, it has been sealed shut, we only found it months ago, after centuries of extensive tracking and we haven't yet to found a way inside, but perhaps you may crack the secrets of this lost Slytherin relic," said the cloaked figure. "It is suspected that it contains the deepest, darkest, secret of the Wizarding World and would reveal that Slytherin was much more complex than the dark wizard the world at large makes him out to be. Then again, that may only be speculation."_

_The cloaked figure handed the orb to Lily and as she touched it the world around her changed. _

Ginny and Harry both did a double take, as they realized the memory switched to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and to their shock, they found themselves staring at the four founders of Hogwarts, all of whom looked to be in various states of frustration.

"_Godric, that was a foolhardy move," said Salazar Slytherin, as he glared at Godric through a vivid pair of green eyes and was in fact the oldest of the four Hogwarts founders. "I would think that one of my fellow founders would have more sense than to release a terror such as that into this world."_

"_It was a precaution, Slytherin, an attempt to defend myself against you, you are going down a dangerous road, with that foul beast you are breeding within our walls," retorted Godric Gryffindor. "If you had gone rogue, I doubt the three of us would be able to put you down, so something was needed to even the odds but I never knew exactly what the ritual did, the text wasn't too specific."_

"_Well, then you should know that maybe it wasn't exactly an ideal solution to use that spell, if you didn't know what it did and now thanks to your impulsive nature, you may have doomed the world," responded Slytherin as he gazed up, the ground rumbling as fire whipped across the sky. "You opened the gates between the Realm of Darkness and this world, all because of the basilisk that I was preparing as a security measure in case Muggles attack us because of your idea to carelessly open our gates to anyone who shows even the tiniest bit of magical potential."_

"_So you are breeding a basilisk," said Godric, as he took his wand out slightly to turn to face Slytherin. _

"_Why didn't you tell us Salazar?" asked Helga Hufflepuff, the youngest of the four, in a slightly hurt voice. _

"_It was intended to be a last resort and I would inform you when you needed to know," responded Salazar coolly and Godric looked ready to retort but Rowena Ravenclaw stepped in between us. _

"_You two can settle this later, but it's not just one demon we'll have to deal with, some of the demon lord's followers escaped before the portal shut itself," responded Rowena calmly. _

"_Yes, he just did, we have to attack him before he spreads his attack further," ordered Godric which caused Salazar to roll his eyes. _

"_Attacking an extremely powerful demon without a plan is really more foolish than summoning one in the first place, Gryffindor," retorted Salazar icily. "We need to a plan to contain them, before they overtake us and spread further. Before any Muggles notice that something is amiss. Rowena, Godric attempt to draw them inside the school, but attack only when possible, Helga, help me activate the perimeter defenses, that should keep them inside the grounds until we manage to coordinate a plan to send them back. "_

_The founders nodded in agreement, Godric a little half heartedly, but they split up to do what was required. _

_Helga waved her wand, activating the runes on the stone pillars on the gate and a large dome of magical energy appeared, encasing the grounds of Hogwarts inside it. Salazar activated a rune on a second pillar, and walls of solid magical energy sprung up around the dome, giving a secondary protection to the outside world from the demons within. _

"_That should hold them," muttered Helga, before she left to join the others and Salazar turned to join her, but he stopped short when he heard a voice. _

"_Your protections will fail, Draxxor can and will break through in moments," said a quiet voice and Salazar slowly turned to see a girl, who looked to be no older than twenty, floating slightly above him. She had flaming red hair, that slightly obscured her shining face and she looked down at Salazar with a saddened look in her eyes as Salazar raised his wand cautiously. "Please, I don't wish to hurt you, I am only here to tell you what you are up against."_

"_Who are you?" asked Salazar as he surveyed the girl, taking in every one of her features calmly. _

"_They call me Chandalence, a strange name to a mortal but I assure you it is a very common name among young demon girls," responded Chandalence and Salazar grew rigid. "I know what you're thinking, but I'm not one of the one's who are attacking this place, I just managed to sense someone summoning the deepest darkest powers of the Realm, that freed Draxxor"_

"_Draxxor, the demon lord who broke free when Godric decided to experiment with forces he didn't know," said Salazar and Chandalence nodded in a remorseful tone. "Can he be defeated?"_

"_No," said Chandalence sadly. "They only managed to seal him inside the Realm of Darkness, after he was captured in a previous attempt to take over this mortal world centuries previous. It is a prison to most, but Draxxor managed to take control, turning the realm into his own personal paradise, where he has created an unstoppable army of the lost, the unredeemable, to serve his own personal will, as he awaited for some human to attempt to tap into the Realm for power."_

"_Exactly do you know so much about Draxxor?" inquired Salazar. _

"_It is because I am his daughter," replied Chandalence remorsefully. "There was a time where he was not the polluted, individual, you stand before him, but he had a taste of power and wanted more."_

Harry looked at Ginny, who seemed to be wide eyed, as she looked from Chandalence and Salazar and then to Harry, before she quickly turned back to the scene before her, transfixed, with her hands shaking.

"Ginny what's the matter?" muttered Harry, as he watched the scene before him as well, a rather interesting similarity becoming rather apparent.

"Nothing Harry, everything's just great," replied Ginny in a falsely cheery voice, as both turned back to the centuries old memory unfolding before them.

"_Salazar, are you coming?" asked Helga as she looked at. "Rowena and Godric are just barely holding those demons off from rampaging through the grounds, they said they could really use your help, well Rowena said she could use your help, Godric wouldn't admit to asking for such a thing."_

"_I need to go and help the others," muttered Salazar to Chandalence._

"_Exactly who are you talking too?" asked Helga in a confused voice. _

"_Don't you see her floating right here, Chandalence, she's just telling me everything she knows about the demon lord, Draxxor," responded Salazar in an irritated voice. "She's right there."_

"_Right, well bring her and any other hallucinations you may be having, because we really do need your help against this Draxxor demon or whatever he's called," responded Helga and Salazar followed her, with Chandalence gliding along behind them. _

"_It might have been prudent to mention that thanks to the unorthodox methods I used to follow Draxxor here, you are the only one who can see or hear me," responded Chandalence. "I should have mentioned it to you, but the look on your face when your friend thought you were talking to thin air was quite amusing."_

_Salazar looked away, with a look of irritation. _

"_It may be a prudent idea to act your age," muttered Salazar out of the corner of his mouth before he paused. "What ever that age may be…"_

"_Five hundred and sixty three years, for your information," replied Chandalence quietly before she blushed, as she heard a thought that Salazar didn't voice. _

_Salazar looked up and saw a horde of demons attacking Rowena and Godric, as the fog around them began to thicken around them. There were only eight demons attacking, but they looked to be vicious fighters with their blood red eyes, brown skin, sharp claws, and hunched, spiked backs. Rowena whipped her wand, causing a field of magical energy to wrap around two of the demons, but in an instant, their claws ripped the magic to shreds and they made their way back on the attack. _

"_Don't try to put them under a stasis field, it just strengthens them!" yelled Rowena, as she managed to dodge two black fireballs as all four founders found themselves just barely holding their own against the legion of demons and that was just the beginning of their problems, as a large booming sound echoed from around the walls of Hogwarts. _

"_What is that?" demanded Godric as he attempted to contain the demons with shackles, but the demon quickly snapped them, before he floated up into the air, at the sound of another boom. _

"_They're breaking through," inputted Chandalence. "Your defenses are coming down around you."_

"_The defenses are failing," said Salazar in a horrified voice as he whipped his wand and a net wrapped around the demon he was facing. "Throw nets on these things as quickly as possible and bind them, we need to secure the defenses."_

_Salazar dodged as a demon glided at him and he spun around, before a burst of ice erupted from his wand and caught the demon off guard, before Helga wrapped up the demon in a net, with the extra precaution of cords wrapped around the net to further secure their attacker. Whipping his wand, Salazar conjured a dozen snakes. _

"_Attack," hissed Salazar in Parseltongue, as the snakes went after the demons, allowing the other three Founders to place them in nets, before they focused a magical shield around the demons, just barely managing to contain them, as Salazar rushed over, before he waved his wand at the tapestries hanging on the walls. Seconds later, a stone pillar came from out of the wall and Salazar tapped his wand on the rune etched in the pillar but frowned. _

"_They've taken control of the defenses," said Chandalence coolly. "Just before you attempted to activate that rune…"_

_That was the least of their problems, as the three founders found themselves knocked backwards, as the demons broke through their defenses. _

"_The longer we fight, the more frustrated we get, the stronger they get!" yelled Godric in frustration. _

"_They feed off our hopelessness don't they?" asked Salazar and Chandalence nodded sadly. _

"_What are you asking me for, you're the expert on the dark arts!" snapped Godric as he stared at Salazar but the doors of the Great Hall burst open and as the demons backed off from the Founders, before they bowed down to the ground. ._

_A large imposing figure swooped in the Great Hall, a great deal more menacing than all of the other demons put together. Shoulder length silvery hair swung down, as he looked down at the four Founders with contempt through his eye cold blue eyes, that were upon a grey face that looked to be carved completely out of stone. It looked as if this demon could crush them with his bare hands without magic, but he was in fact beneath such things and he just radiated dark magic in its strongest, most concentrated form. _

"_Draxxor," said Salazar with utter contempt, but the demon lord looked upon them, raising a hand, showing his blood red claws, before he waved his minions over. _

"_So, I've been lead to believe that these are the four most powerful mortals in this pathetic world," remarked Draxxor coldly. "Your defenses were rather problematic for mere seconds, but they are being brought down by my legions. Even you four will not protect the outside world forever, this entire world will fall to me."_

_Godric blasted a solid jet of gold light at Draxxor but Draxxor caught the magic in his hand, before he crushed it, causing sparks to fly everywhere and then calmly with just a mere flick of his finger sent Godric flying. A loud crash echoed throughout Hogwarts as Godric hit the floor._

"_Who dares fight me next?" asked Draxxor and the other three founders took a few tentative steps forward. "You three may pose a challenge for a few seconds, but my power can be used elsewhere."_

_Draxxor nodded and the walls around them began to vibrate, as Godric pulled himself to his feet. _

"_Stick to the center, stay away from the walls," whispered Chandalence in an urgent tone. _

"_In the center, do not under any circumstances touch…" stated Salazar but through the walls, burst a large black tentacle, that wrapped around Rowena's ankle. She was pulled to the grounds and only the combined efforts of the other three founders managed to cut her free. The tentacle slid to the ground before it began to glow at their feet. _

"_I don't think I've seen anything like this," remarked Helga, as the tentacle began to shoot miniature vines from out of it, ensnaring the four founders in its grip and began to strangle the life out of them. "Devil's Snare, this should be easy, relax, use fire, we'll be fine, all together."_

_Several jets of fire erupted from the wands of the founders, but it appeared to have no effect at all. _

"_The devil's snare has been enchanted, given strength beyond its normal parameters," breathed Rowena. "Our most powerful flame charms, it only incensed…"_

"_Fiendfyre," suggested Chandalence calmly and Salazar looked up at her, as the Devil's Snare had wrapped around his entire body with the exception of his face._

_Salazar waved his wand, pointing them at the other three Founders and a dozen bright orange flaming figures erupted from his wand. The vines quickly burst into flames but before the flames could consume the founders, Salazar promptly banished the flaming spirits conjured by Fiendfyre to a sub zero portion of the world, where they could not survive. _

"_Was attempting to scorch us really necessary?" asked Godric in an irritated voice. _

"_While that spell was questionable, it was the only way for us to escape, we would have perished for sure," said Rowena logically. _

"_No one has survived my enhanced Devil's Snare," remarked Draxxor, as he turned to face the Founders, his eyes focused on Salazar Slytherin. "The spell you used was one that most humans wouldn't have the imagination to try in such a situation. It is quite a shame that such power is misplaced, as your other three companions don't have a fraction of your power. I offer you the chance to join me, I can open up your heart, your mind, and your soul to more possibilities, realms of magic that you couldn't even dream of and the key to eternal life. All can be yours if you willingly submit yourself to my will and I may grant your companions only eternal imprisonment within the Realm, as opposed to execution. "_

"_Eternal imprisonment is worse than death," said Chandalence as she looked at the scene from high above with wide eyes. "He only wishes to you use as another slave, you won't be given any opportunities other than to serve him and his will."_

"_A Slytherin doesn't serve anyone, it's the creed of my family and the creed of the students in my house," responded Salazar calmly. "I'd rather be powerless than your puppet."_

"_Yet you continue to work for the three before you," taunted Draxxor. _

"_I work with them," corrected Salazar. "I wouldn't have bothered if I thought it to be anything less."_

"_Then so be it," said Draxxor in a cold voice as he waved his hand and the entire army of twenty five of his demon minions appeared right before him. "Wipe them from existence."_

_The demons moved towards the Founders who were paralyzed by the realization that they had problems containing eight of them and now that there were twenty five. Not only that, but the fog thickened and they seemed to be plagued by feelings of hopelessness that affected their ability to move, much less defend themselves. _

_Salazar staggered, as he only managed to get off a net at half power, as the demon he attempted to contain shredded it. A blast of ice was expertly dodged, and the demon sent Salazar flying backwards. _

"_You came here to advise me and yet we are losing, are you certain there isn't any way we can fight back, overcoming the helplessness?" muttered Salazar quickly out of the side of his mouth, as he placed a shield up to block an incoming attack. _

"_I'm sorry but…one way, there may be one way, but it's far beyond the scope of most mortals," said Chandalence, her eyes shining bright, as small cloud of hope began to be apparent. "Used to weaken them enough to place them in the Realm in the first place, the spell is called Expecto Patronum, but it can only be powered by the happiest of thoughts."_

"_Godric, Rowena, Helga, yell Expecto Patronum, while thinking of something happy!" yelled Salazar, as he watched Godric clutch his side, as he was badly wounded by a demon attack. "Focus, we have to do this, EXPECTO PATRONUM!" _

_A snake made of solid green magic energy burst from Salazar's wand and circled the demons, causing their attacks to weaken, as they did, but only one Patronus was enough for just the moment. Similar cries were heard and a red lion, a yellow badger, and blue eagle erupted from the wands of the founders, as they engaged the demons in battle. _

"_Keep focusing, your will power needs to power the Patronus," said Chandalence, who looked curiously, as if mortals were to summon a patronus guardian, all studies indicated that it would be mere a silvery shadow, not multi colored, nearly solidified forms of magical energy. _

"_Do not stop, keep your focus, they are back tracking," ordered Salazar as Godric's lion trampled a pair of demons. _

"_I don't know how much longer we can keep this up!" yelled Helga as her patronus faltered. _

"_Yes, this spell is most draining, especially as they fight us more," added Rowena. _

"_Keep trying, we only need to hold them off until we can find a way to defeat them!" yelled Salazar as his snake wrapped around a quartet of demons, before they were tossed to the side. _

"_A plan, do you by any chance have any idea how?" asked Godric and Salazar looked to Chandalence, who shook her head. _

"_No way to defeat him, and sending him back to the Realm of Darkness requires much more power than bringing him here," responded Chandalence. _

"_I'm working on it," said Salazar in his calmest voice but the Patroni faded, and Draxxor turned to them, his minions steadily coming back to full strength, before Draxxor signaled for them to depart, leaving just the four Founders, Chandalence, and Draxxor. _

"_That spell is of demon origin, exactly how do you know of it?" demanded Draxxor. _

"_I read," responded Salazar coolly. _

"_No human text records that spell, which means someone betrayed our secrets to a mere mortal, the highest treason," said Draxxor calmly as he waved his hand and a large black harness snapped around Salazar, binding his arms behind his back and with another wave of Draxxor's hand, the harness caused unbearable pain to fill Salazar's body. "Now tell me who betrayed us or there will be consequences far beyond your own pain."_

"_Salazar, I would reveal myself if it meant saving you, but it simply can't be done," said Chandalence in a desperate voice and Salazar turned to Draxxor, utter contempt in his eyes._

"_Not going to fold…not to you," said Salazar through gritted teeth, as every nerve in his body was being assaulted, it was a Cruciatus Curse times ten at the very least, assaulting every inch of his body. _

_The other three Founders made a movement to help but a large pure black dome erupted around Salazar, causing the Founders to drop to their knees, a sense of hopelessness washing over them. _

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!" yelled the three founders simultaneously, just managing to summon up enough strength to hold up their wands but their efforts were only managed to stop the dome from effecting them further. _

"_They shall perish, driven into insanity, unless you tell me," said Draxxor, his ice blue eyes lacking even the slightest amount of sympathy but Salazar, seeing the state of the other three Founders, concentrated hard, in an attempt to use pure will power to block the effects that the harness was having on him._

_Then, incredibly, the harness broke off and flew halfway across the room, with Salazar dropping to his hands and knees, weakened at the burst of raw magic that he needed to throw the harness off of himself. Draxxor calmly waved his hand and the harness disappeared, along with the dome._

"_Impressive, Salazar Slytherin, no one has ever resisted my power for this long but you are wasted working for these three insects," said Draxxor as the four Founders shakily rose to their feet. _

"_As long as we can fight, none of us will succumb to you, Draxxor," responded Godric in a confident voice. "Even though Salazar and I don't see eye to eye on many things, we do both wish you gone."_

"_Yet, it was you that brought me here in the first place," challenged Draxxor. "I can see in your eyes human, you are envious of the power that Salazar holds, he has both the knowledge and the power to destroy you when he chooses. You can't stop him, that's why you tried to enlist my help for a little bit of power." _

_A loud thunderous crash echoed from outside. _

"_The defenses," said Rowena sadly. _

"_We need to reactivate them, now, before they get into the village," said Helga. _

"_My followers have already entered the village the second the defenses fell, feeding on those who they find, weakening your primitive mortal forms, before consuming their souls," responded Draxxor coldly. _

"_My wife, my daughters, no," whispered Salazar, showing fear for the first time. _

"_Indeed, they are in the village, the one's you cherish the most, they will fall, along with many other innocents, and then after the village falls, we will be able to spread throughout the world, taking only what is necessary for food and using the rest for slave labor, the end for all humanity," taunted Draxxor. _

"_If we take Draxxor out, we can handle his followers," suggested Godric as he turned to Salazar. _

"_I don't think we can, but perhaps we can find a way to contain him until we find a way to destroy him," said Salazar, who was grasping at straws._

"_The only way you could contain him is by weakening him long enough to use an influx magical field and the only way that can be done is by use of an extremely powerful mystical weapon," suggested Chandalence. "Other than that, there is nothing…"_

"_Extremely powerful mystical weapon," muttered Salazar, a small glimmer of hope appearing, as thankfully he had something that might be of use. "Try and hold Draxxor off for a few moments."_

_Before anyone could speak to him, Salazar disappeared from the Great Hall, leaving the other three Founders along with Draxxor._

"_Contain him?" demanded Godric as Draxxor looked down, with a twisted smile. _

"_Shield charms, use every bit of power you can, focus them on Draxxor," suggested Rowena and three overlapping golden shields appeared around Draxxor, but only for a matter of seconds, as Draxxor casually ripped through the magic energy, causing it to fade and the Founders backwards. _

"_All efforts are in vain," said Draxxor as Godric attempted to attack him with a spontaneous combustion curse but black spiked vines burst from the ground, wrapping around the arms and legs of the Gryffindor founder and pinned him backwards. _

"_Maybe if we both attack him at once, we might back him off," suggested Helga vainly and Rowena nodded, before a large swarm of birds burst from her wand, diving at Draxxor with their razor sharp beaks, as Helga shot a thick net made of pure magical energy from her wand at the same time. _

_Draxxor spun his hand and a sickening shade of yellow eliminated the efforts of the Founders, before black slime erupted from the floor, quickly covering Rowena and Helga from the neck down, and then it solidified, to trap the founders. _

"_Can you reach your wand?" asked Helga desperately and Rowena sadly shook her head. "Me neither, it appears it ends here."_

"_Astute mortal and once I finish the fourth Founder, the entire world will be mine, as you were truly the best this world had to offer," responded Draxxor but Salazar Slytherin entered the room, the Blade of Slytherin in his hand. "On time, for your execution."_

_Draxxor was illuminated with a blinding yellow light before he shot a bolt of energy from his arm, but Salazar expertly blocked it with his weapon, and reflected it back towards Draxxor, who just waved his hand, causing his attack to vanish. _

"_That should have sent you in a horrific journey, the likes of which humanity has never experienced before," growled Draxxor as Salazar stepped forward, the blade in his hand. "To face me with only but a piece of tin is rather foolish, Salazar Slytherin."_

_Salazar wasted little time spinning the sword, causing a large cyclone of wind to burst right towards Draxxor. Draxxor was impacted and the demon was sent backwards, but only a few steps, before his hands began to glow and he shot large balls of black fire right at Salazar. _

_In a blink of an eye, Salazar jabbed his wand and froze the fire into solid ice. The frozen fire crashed harmlessly to the ground and Salazar slashed his wand, causing the ground beneath Draxxor to rumble, before rocks burst from it, impacting Draxxor in the leg and sending him back. The rocks rose from the ground and isolated Draxxor from the founders. _

"_Now is your only chance," encouraged Chandalence. "Free your friends; it will take everything you have just to contain him."_

_Salazar quickly moved over, freeing the Founders from their predicaments, and the four Founders turned, as they saw Draxxor viciously break through the rock wall before he advanced on the four Founders, once again glowing yellow, as he summoned all of his power to finish them all off in one fell swoop._

"_Create an influx magical field, aimed right at Draxxor!" ordered Salazar._

"_That could rip the entire school in half!" argued Helga. _

"_We can build a new school, just do it!" snapped Salazar and they just shrugged, before four multi-colored walls shot from their wands, merging into one, as the Founders pushed right it right at Draxxor, who attempted to break through._

"_He's breaking through," said Godric. _

"_Then focus harder, we need to use everything we have," said Salazar and Draxxor began to back off, as he screamed, smoke rising from his body, as his powerful form disappeared, his spirit being encased in stone. _

"_He's still there, he can still break free," said Rowena. _

"_Yes, I can," whispered the faint voice of Draxxor. "You four can't hold the Influx Magical Field forever and once it isn't tied to anything, I can break free, this world is only spared as long as you can hold me. Once I break free, you will pay, with your blood and the blood of your descendants." _

"_We can't be much longer," said Godric in a hopeless voice. _

"_No, we have to find a way to transfer the field from us, to something else, an extremely powerful magical focus element," responded Rowena, as the stone structure that Draxxor's spirit was encased in began to shake as her concentration broke only slightly. _

"_Salazar, use one of the emeralds on your sword," said Chandalence and Salazar carefully removed an emerald from the sword, without cracking it. _

"_Everyone, we are going to transfer the link to the field from us to this emerald," said Salazar and the other three Founder joined Salazar, carefully transferring the influx field to the emerald, which wrapped around the stone structure. Mist appeared around the emerald but the four Founders collapsed to the ground, Draxxor contained by the emerald. _

_Rowena, Helga, and Godric went to their feet, to begin to check on the village. _

"_Give them the emerald, it will be able to contain his followers who are just trapped in a severely weakened, but still dangerous, form" muttered Chandalence._

"_Take the emerald, just in case his followers haven't been contained as well," said Salazar and Rowena nodded before she snatched up the emerald. _

"_One day someone may be able to defeat him," remarked Chandalence quietly as they watched the other three powers. "Certain circumstances that will give them just enough power, to banish him once and for all. Salazar, you did well out there, but only well enough to contain his spirit, if the emerald shatters…"_

"_Draxxor will be freed," responded Salazar but his mind was elsewhere. _

"_Your wife and daughters will be fine, they managed to hide long enough to avoid the full wrath of Draxxor's army, others might not have been as lucky, but they were among the few," said Chandalence. "If only things would have been different…"_

_Chandalence faded off, wishing she hadn't been spoke._

"_If only what could be different?" inquired Salazar._

"_Well, we are similar, but at the same time, we are tied to different worlds," explained Chandalence quietly. "I would not have been able to speak to you had our souls not been completely compatible, I would have just floated as an aimless spirit for all of eternity and now with the portal sealed, it is unlikely that I will be able to return home."_

"_What will happen?" asked Salazar curiously. _

"_Most likely I will fade from existence slowly, my spirit remaining in limbo, until the fates deem it necessary to reassign my spirit to another one, perhaps a mortal," responded Chandalence. "Perhaps luck will pan out, perhaps there is a time where our spirits can properly intertwined, but only fate can decide."_

"_Perhaps," agreed Salazar, as he had became rather fond of the girl in the short time he had known her but out of respect of his wife, he did not allow those feelings to go further. _

"_Admirable and farewell, it is useless to dwell for too long," said Chandalence with a smile. _

"_Farewell," responded Salazar as Chandalence slowly faded out, leaving Salazar standing in the Great Hall alone. _

The scene in the pensive faded from the school back into Lily's meeting place.

_Lily looked up from the orb, her brain slowly going over what she had seen, most of her research had never pointed to Salazar Slytherin having any involvement whatsoever when Draxxor had unleashed his army of demon followers on the world. Draxxor's name had come up a couple of times, but all she learned before now was a powerful demon who had attempted to conquer the world at one point centuries ago. _

_Lily leapt backwards, as her contact had fell to the floor. Blood splattered everywhere and Lily heard footsteps, someone was here, someone had found out about the meeting involving the orb. _

"_She knows," remarked a strangely familiar voice and Lily did the only thing that made sense, flinging the orb to the floor before hitting it with a high powered blasting charm, breaking it into millions of tiny glass pieces and Lily, managed to dodge a stunning spell, before she activated her emergency Portkey, to send herself back to a safe, untraceable location. _

"Weeks later, I found out that I was pregnant, due in July and around the time, Dumbledore came to me and James with the Prophecy he concocted," concluded Lily as the memory faded out. "It seemed rather strange at the time but…the next memory is one that would have incriminated who the world thought was Albus Dumbledore but…"

"It may be a good idea to show it, Mum," prompted Harry and Lily removed the first memory, before she placed the second memory inside, allowing them to view it.

_Lily slowly pulled herself to her feet from the wreckage of the house at Godric's Hallow, weakened, but she had lived, something that she hadn't expected to happen._

_A loud crying echoed and Lily rushed over, seeing Harry in pain, his forehead nastily slashed, blood dripping from it._

"_Mummy, Mummy!" screamed Harry, as he looked up at his mother with his emerald eyes, that had tears clinging to them, as he looked terrified. _

"_Shh, Harry, it's okay baby, Mummy's here," said Lily as she scooped up her fifteen month old son in her arms to comfort. _

"_Where Daddy?" asked Harry in an innocent voice and Lily looked around, fearing for the worst. _

"_James!" called Lily in an uncertain voice but she came to James, who was laying on the ground at an awkward angle, his legs crossed, his eyes shut, with no breath coming out of him. "Oh my God!"_

"_Daddy night-night?" suggested Harry innocently, as he looked at his mother with wide eyes, as Lily conjured a wet washcloth to put on Harry's forehead, cleaning up his forehead._

"_We should have left, James why didn't you listen to me?" muttered Lily in a horrified voice as she looked around, expecting to see Voldemort's body as well, but there wasn't a trace that the Dark Lord had ever been there on that evening. _

"_Lily?" asked an uncertain voice and Lily saw Dumbledore walk up to them, with a surprised look in his eyes. "My sensors had picked up an extremely powerful magical backlash and…"_

"_You came here," finished Lily. "James is dead Albus, Harry's injured, and I don't even know where Voldemort went."_

"_Voldemort has temporary lost his powers but he will return in time, when it is necessary," responded Dumbledore cryptically. "It is quite interesting, considering the fact that you should have died as well too tonight Lily."_

"_What do you mean I should have died?" asked Lily. "What do mean Voldemort will return when it's necessary?"_

"_The plan has been in motion for years, but your discovery of the orb and the degeneration of this form forced me to accelerate my plans," responded Dumbledore calmly. "When I learned of the prophecy that gave me the perfect chance to take over the world, I needed a perfect weapon to help me eliminate the one person who could hope to challenge me and that weapon is your son."_

"_Voldemort," said Lily softly and Dumbledore nodded. "But we trusted you with our lives, despite misgivings…"_

"_You never truly trusted me Lily. After all you haven't been told of my greatness since your birth, like others have, you haven't been conditioned to trust me above all else," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort may be the one to defeat me once and for all, like his ancestor did a nearly a thousand years ago."_

"_You're him," whispered Lily in a horrified tone and Dumbledore nodded calmly. _

"_Albus Dumbledore came to the crypt that Slytherin had placed me," explained Dumbledore. "He was part of a team of Unspeakables that perished once they reached the crypt but my magic didn't destroy him because I sensed he was my ticket out of my prison. His desperation was quite amusing, his sister had fallen severely ill and Albus would do anything to cure her. I had tempted him with power that many mortals could not even dream of, and as a resort, my soul was drawn into his body and his soul was trapped within the crypt. While I still didn't have access to my full power, I did have a means to the outside world."_

_Lily remained frozen, not knowing what to do, as Dumbledore's smile began sinister, not at all like the usual grandfatherly smile he possessed at times, but it was quite unsettling. _

"_It would have been best for you to flee, but I could not have had that, so I convinced James that it would be safer to remain here and because I was Albus Dumbledore, he agreed with it," continued Dumbledore. "Sirius would have never revealed your location, he may have had some misgivings about me at times as well, but I managed to subtly influence him, to bring his fears to the forefront about failing you and have you switch to Peter Pettigrew. I always encouraged Peter to reach towards greater heights, always hinting that he had the potential for greatness and I had known he had joined Voldemort eighteen months ago."_

"_Why all these games…Draxxor?" questioned Lily. "With the influence you have, you could be Minister of Magic…"_

"_Foolish child, I have grander schemes in mind, I need to position the perfect pawn to destroy the Eye of Darkness and if I lead your son to believe it is the means to defeating Voldemort, then I will be free," said Dumbledore. "By the time I steer him towards that fact, the world will be severely weakened by the war and will be ripe for the taking."_

_Lily stood there, as she gently placed Harry down, her hands clenched in fists. _

"_Now you are a smart girl Lily," said Dumbledore. "You'd be even smarter if you just leave right now and go into exile, the world will think you heroically died protecting your son and Harry will be sent to your charming sister and her husband, so it can be done."_

"_OVER MY DEAD BODY YOU BASTARD!" yelled Lily as she held her wand, to attack Dumbledore. "I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HARRY!"_

"_It's a shame, Lily, really you forced my hand," said Dumbledore as he waved his wand at Lily and it was obvious that Dumbledore only told her the truth because he had no intention for her to remember. _

With then, the memory faded out abruptly and Harry and Ginny both wore additional looks of shock, but slightly different reasons.

"Dumbledore's death was staged," concluded Harry in a shaky voice. "He's still out there, inside one of the most influential men of Hogwarts is perhaps one of most powerful and vile forces the world has ever know, one that the four Founders could barely contain."

"You didn't trust him, Harry and that may have saved a lot of lives, as he didn't have a chance to manipulate you into destroying the Eye of Darkness," said Ginny calmly, but her eyes still held a rather disturbed look.

"Or only delayed the inevitable," responded Harry grimly. "The prophecy…it all makes sense, too much sense and the demon army are…"

"I know," said Ginny, nodding her head. "Those things are vile enough in their weakened form, but imagine if they broke free and there were only twenty five then, with more so…"

Ginny left her thought hanging and Harry knew what she was thinking, the idea of fighting those many demons sounded like an impossible task.

"We can only take things one step at a time, as long as the Eye of Darkness remains in tact, then Draxxor will not return to full power," said Lily in a slightly encouraging voice.

"But where is the Eye?" asked Harry.

"That's a damn good question, one that I wished I had the answer too," said Lily. "Also, I do wonder why Draxxor didn't just kill me, instead of wiping my memory and leaving me for dead behind the TCRI building, but who knows how his warped mind works."

Later that evening, deep under the Slytherin library, Harry walked inside.

"Slytherin's journal is interesting, but I'm finding out exactly how vague he was in his writings," remarked Harry as he sat down on the bed beside Ginny. "The influx magical field, I've never even heard about that until the battle."

"Interesting," replied Ginny stiffly. "Harry, I'm afraid that my entire life has been a lie, manipulated by outside forces…"

"Why do you think that?" asked Harry.

"Harry, please, you saw the similarities between me and her," said Ginny. "And you and him, you saw how similar you looked to Salazar Slytherin; she basically said their spirits were destined to be intertwined one day…"

"So you're thinking we're them," concluded Harry and Ginny nodded, a saddened look on her face. "So what?"

"Harry, the fact I may be the reincarnation of the daughter of a demon that attempted to take control of the earth many years ago really bothers me," said Ginny in an agitated voice.

"And there is a chance that I may be the reincarnation of the resident pariah of Wizarding history, the man whose house at Hogwarts had for the longest time the reputation for turning out more dark witches and wizards then every house in Hogwarts history," replied Harry.

"Harry, I don't even know who the hell I am anymore!" cried Ginny.

"You're Ginny," responded Harry in a confident voice. "The girl I love with all my heart, my life. Nothing else matters, because I know you are the same person that I have always known and loved."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest but Harry wasn't finished.

"It isn't about who we are destined to be, it's about our lives and who we choose to be, who we are," said Harry softly.

"The bond…" protested Ginny.

"We created the bond, the bond did not create us," said Harry. "It formed, but do you think it would have completed unless we got to know each other. It may have drawn us together, but it was us that made it work, not some predestined piece of magic."

Before Ginny could respond, Harry reached forward and wrapped his arms around Ginny, before pulling her forward their lips pressing together. Ginny eagerly returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Harry, and she pulled herself up so her legs were wrapped around Harry, as their tongues met, as a wave of ecstasy exploded into both of them, before they reluctantly pulled apart.

"Wow," breathed Ginny. "No matter how many times we do that, it still feels wonderful."

"Yes, and that's reserved for you Ginny, just you," said Harry.

"Yes, and I'm wrong, I shouldn't worry about what I saw, there may be similarities to them, but we are our own people," admitted Ginny as she leaned her head on Harry's shoulder, as he gently laid back. "Harry, I look at you and I see the same person I've always seen, past lives be damned."

"Same here Ginny, I couldn't do this without you," said Harry as the two laid with their arms wrapped around each other.

"Less mush, more snogging," said Ginny before she proceeded to kiss Harry, who eagerly returned the favor, and their fun continued to the wee hours of the morning, before they fell asleep in each other's arms, completely content.

**Fate is a funny thing, isn't it? And now that the worst kept secret in this entire series has been revealed, we have four chapters to go. **


	42. Chapter 42: Liberated

**Chapter Forty Two: Liberated:**

Hailey sat on the Hogwarts grounds, underneath the shade of a tree, deep in thought, reflecting on the events of the last couple of weeks. For a moment, she thought she was going to die when Bellatrix had viciously attacked her or at the very least, tortured into insanity. If her mother did not show up when she did, Hailey shuddered to think what might have happened, especially once Bellatrix got bored. It took her several days to recover from the damage Bellatrix had done to her and the news of the death toll at Hogwarts had made Hailey wish her recovery had lasted a bit longer, so she did not have to face it. So many faces that she had seen in the corridors every day, at the Great Hall for meals, had been killed, the two most jarring were Daphne and Theodore. She was shaken up and knew Harry was blaming himself for their deaths, even though he was weakened by Malfoy's poisoned dagger. The unfortunate part was that by all indications were that this attack may have just been a preview the preview for a more dangerous time to come for all of the Wizarding World. There was no news of any major attacks, just a few scattered disappearances, but everything just seemed like Voldemort had big plans that he needed to prepare for, so he was scaling back his efforts for the time being.

"Hailey?" voiced a voice and Hailey looked up to see Neville standing there, surveying her. "I just wanted to see how you were holding up after Lestrange…"

"I'm fine Neville, really," said Hailey calmly before she stopped, with smirk. "And yes I realize exactly how much I sound like Harry when I say that."

"She's still out there," responded Neville darkly.

"Not that Mum didn't try to finish her off once and for all," said Hailey. "Bellatrix just escaped with her life and I sure hope she'll be out of commission for a long time."

"We can only hope, but until she's dead, no one will be safe," said Neville shaking his head. "It's just, she's taken so much and only Voldemort may be more dangerous than her."

Hailey nodded, her eyes far off, that sinister laugh still ringing through her head.

"It's only begun," voiced Hailey and Neville nodded grimly.

"Gran told me stories about the last war, about what my parents had to face before…" started Neville before stopped short. "It was bad then but I don't think I've heard of anything like what happened at Hogwarts today."

"I'm not much for history, but I think you may be right," responded Hailey and Neville laughed. "Harry, I don't envy him, he's now the only person who is powerful enough to face off against Voldemort."

"Yes, with Dumbledore dead, he is but Hailey, Dumbledore's death did it seem to be a little too easy to you?" asked Neville and Hailey nodded, now that she thought about it, it did seem to be a bit too easy. "One of the most powerful wizards, defeated by a Killing Curse, I mean, I would think that Dumbledore would at least have a way to avoid being hit."

"Yes, Dumbledore's death does seem too easy, because I'm getting the impression that Harry, Ginny, and Mum believe that he isn't dead," said Hailey. "Don't know why, but that's just what I'm getting from their facial expressions when Dumbledore was mentioned?"

"Dumbledore used to be one of the most unshakable symbols, a beacon of light in the darkness," said Neville. "His actions have gotten a bit strangest ever since Harry returned to the Wizarding World. Even Gran, who is one of the biggest Dumbledore supporters I've ever seen, has commented that maybe he should have found a successor and retired a long time ago. Still faking his death, why would he do that?"

"I don't know," said Hailey, who had far more information on the matter than Neville but less than her mother, Harry, and Ginny, so she didn't want to speculate.

"Well at least we still have Harry," said Neville.

"Yes, at least," agreed Hailey. "Truthfully he is our only chance."

"If anyone can do beat Voldemort, it's got to be Harry, he seems to be far and above most of the teachers here at Hogwarts, much less us," said Neville, placing his hand on Hailey's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "Speaking of teachers, Snape he's…"

"I know, our favorite teacher died," remarked Hailey and Neville laughed at this. "All the quality time we spent together in detention, with Snape, scouring all those cauldrons, without magic, but still, a part of me is going to kind of miss him, after what Mum told Harry, Ginny, and I told us."

Neville's curiosity was piqued and Hailey decided to fill her friend on what happened.

"Snape basically gave Mum some information, that he was told not to under a penalty of breaking an Unbreakable Vow," explained Hailey. "Yes, I know, Snape knew he was going to die but he helped us anyway and it brings us or rather Harry, a couple steps closer to ridding the world of Voldemort for good."

"Snape really did that, if anyone knew the consequences of breaking an Unbreakable Vow, it would be him," said Neville in an awed voice. "To be under that kind of agreement, it kind of explains the way he was."

"That and I still think he really was hard on the one's he expected so much out of," added Hailey. "I mean Mum was perhaps one of the top marks in her year at Potions and your parents were fairly good, in Potions right?"

"Yeah they were," responded Neville vaguely. "I can see where your coming from with that, but I spent far too much time in that dungeon than I would have liked to, in detention."

"Yes, I did too but at least one good thing came out of all the time I spent in detention," replied Hailey and Neville looked out at her curiously. "I wouldn't have scored such a wonderful date to the Yule Ball, only as a first year as well."

"Now Hailey, you're just being nice, I spent most of the night stepping all over your feet," protested Neville, who was slightly blushing.

"Why did you ask me anyway?" questioned Hailey. "I've been wondering this for two years, you're a nice enough guy, and I'm just the annoying little sister of the Boy-Who-Lived…"

"No, you're more than that," said Neville quickly. "After all the time we spent in detention, I thought you were nice enough, I didn't think you would laugh at me for asking you, and we did become friends, I guess, after that."

"Of course we're friends, I need someone to talk to when Harry and Ginny are off doing things that I really don't want to think about," replied Hailey and Neville laughed at that. "Sure, I get along with Hermione and Luna fine, but Hermione's too studious for my liking and there's just some times that a couple of Luna's theories are a bit…well out there."

"Can't argue with that," remarked Neville. "Still I wonder if I would have been able to ask you to the Yule Ball if it was held now…"

"I would still would have gone with you in a heart beat if you had asked me now," said Hailey. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well there are a lot of guys who seem to like you and might have asked you out if they weren't so terrified of your brother," said Neville carefully and Hailey raised her eyebrow. "A few of them liked the fact you've had a sense of humor to begin with, but the fact you've became extremely pretty during this year has really turned a few more heads."

"Yes, but exactly how much can they like me if they can't summon the nerve to talk to me, without fearing what Harry might do to them," responded Hailey, who turned so Neville couldn't really see the smile on her face at the inadvertent complement . "True, he might be one of the most powerful wizards that ever lived, the only person alive who could hold his own against Voldemort, but still, that's really no reason at all to be afraid of him."

Neville and Hailey laughed at this before Neville grew suddenly serious and looked at Hailey thoughtfully.

"I'd be a liar if I told you that I didn't feel a bit intimidated by your brother, I've seen him a couple of times when he was mad," responded Neville shuddering slightly. "Not exactly all that pleasant, rather scary when you think of it."

"Harry can keep his temper in check most times, but when he loses it, you better steer clear, I think he gets that from Mum," said Hailey seriously. "Still, you did ask me to the Yule Ball, no matter what Harry might have thought of and honestly I did have a wonderful time, no matter how many times you stepped on my toes when we tried to dance."

"Still, you more then made up for my shortcomings I think," said Neville.

"Hailey, are you out here?" asked Hermione, breaking the moment of uncomfortable silence between Hailey and Neville, as the seventeen year old girl made her way out, looking at Neville and Hailey for few seconds, before she caught herself. "Oh, hi Neville."

"Hi Hermione," replied Neville. "What brings you out here?"

"Yeah, I'm curious to know that as well," said Hailey.

"Sirius is going to finally get his trial today, Lily managed to force the Ministry's hand when they were given evidence of Pettigrew being alive," informed Hermione.

"Really, that's great, so Sirius will get his name cleared," said Hailey in a please voice but Hermione shook her head.

"As Harry told me, we can't assume that will happen, the Ministry doesn't like admitting their wrong dongs in any case, so despite the fact that Peter was found and even if he proves that he framed Sirius for the murders, doesn't mean that Sirius will have his name cleared, even though he should," said Hermione with a frown. "Knowing the Ministry, they might clear Sirius of all charges, but they throw him back into Azkaban for breaking out in the first place."

"Surely they wouldn't do that!" exclaimed Hailey but Hermione grimly nodded her head. "Then again, giving the Ministry's reputation, I can see them doing precisely that but I'm sure Mum has a plan."

"I'd imagine so too," agreed Hermione.

"Hailey, Hermione, I just remembered, I need to pack some things before I leave tomorrow, don't want to forget anyway after all," said Neville as he walked off, leaving the two girls alone, as he didn't really feel all that comfortable being in the middle of the conversation about something that he had little to no knowledge on.

"So Hailey, what's going on?" inquired Hermione.

"I've been doing fine, Bellatrix put me out of commission for a while, but I'm well on the road to recovery," answered Hailey promptly.

"As much as I'm glad to see you're okay Hailey, that wasn't exactly what I was talking about," said Hermione in a patient voice. "I mean what's going on with you and Neville."

"You mean besides the fact we're friends," replied Hailey. "That's pretty much all that there is to it, I did have a new time at the Yule Ball, but that was two years ago, one date, even if you could call it that, and we're nothing but friends."

"Kind of like how Harry and Ginny were friends for several years before they started dating," said Hermione shrewdly.

"That's Harry and Ginny," countered Hailey. "Really you're looking at something that isn't quite there, Hermione. Neville is a great friend don't get me wrong, but even if I did like him that which, which I don't, he does deserve better."

"Yes, better than one of the most desired girls in Hogwarts," responded Hermione calmly.

"That's just because I'm Harry's sister and you know it," said Hailey.

"Actually, it's in spite of the fact your Harry's sister, but some it may be, true," admitted Hermione. "Mostly it has to do with your looks, Quidditch success, and just overall personality, since you did become less abrasive this year."

"Exactly who are the other most desired girls in Hogwarts, anyway Hermione?" asked Hailey curiously, who also was wondering exactly how Hermione knew this.

"The Patil twins, Cho Chang, that pretty much makes up the top five, I doubt this is an any particular order either" remarked Hermione calmly. "Ginny might have been on the list too but she's firmly with Harry, no matter what, so she's obviously not going to be considered regardless."

"Wait, there should be another girl in the top five, if Ginny isn't in there, I only count four including me," said Hailey suddenly and Hermione turned away, to conceal a slight blush appearing on her cheeks.

"I forgot, but I'm sure it really isn't anyone important," said Hermione, who was now smiling. Years ago, she didn't smile because of her overly large teeth which she had been extremely self conscious of during constant years of taunting in primary school but once she found a potion to shrink them, she jumped on the opportunity.

"I'm certain," replied Hailey with a calculating look through her emerald green eyes. "I just wonder exactly what brought us from Sirius getting a trial to my sudden surge of popularity. Perhaps then we can pinpoint the exact time where my life turned into a teen drama."

"That's a mystery, isn't it?" asked Hermione. "I just hope your sudden surge of popularity doesn't give you an over inflated head."

"Of course not, it's not like it really matters all that much, I've learned from Harry's experience that popularity can be here one minute and gone the next," said Hailey. "In the end, only your friends and your family remains."

"Friends like Neville, right?" asked Hermione.

"Hey, you don't spend countless nights scouring tube worm guts from a cauldron together in detention and not become friends," said Hailey, waving her hand. "It's a shame that I other than Harry, you really don't have a close male friend and since he's with Ginny, I can't very well tease you about him, don't want to start any rumors. Although, you and Ron do bicker from time to time like a married couple on prefect rounds…"

"Please don't go there, if Ronald overhears, he might get his hopes up," responded Hermione in an irritated voice. "Luna likes him, why I don't know, and besides, Ron and I would spend most of our lives arguing. It just wouldn't work out."

"Yeah, I can see that, so I'm going to have to find some other guy to tease you about to get revenge on you, right, sis?" asked Hailey and Hermione just smiled.

"Maybe, Hailey, just maybe," concluded Hermione.

Inside the Wizengamot Court Room, Lily and Sirius were going over some things before Sirius would finally get his trial that he should have received almost sixteen years ago.

"Realistically, Sirius, there should be no way you won't get freed, but it would be foolish enough to assume that the Ministry is going to give you a fair and just chance to prove yourself," said Lily. "Fortunately, I worked with Madam Bones, making sure that Wormtail was secured, so he couldn't just mysteriously disappear before the trial, so that is all tied up."

"Good, the traitor's pulled that disappearing act twice before, and I wouldn't want him to do it a third time with my soul on the line," remarked Sirius.

"I'll be your legal representation in there, so let me do most of the talking," added Lily and Sirius looked at her with a puzzled look. "We pretty much studied every aspect of the Ministry when I was an Unspeakable, including Ministry law but I've also been in contact with several experts to make sure I brush up on recent developments. Fortunately, there weren't all that many, the Ministry hardly ever chances."

"I really hope you have a plan in there, Lily," said Sirius.

"Oh I do, as by judging by their own blood purity laws, the Ministry of Magic committed a huge crime against you when throwing you into Azkaban without a trial, even if you were guilty," said Lily, as she watched the members of the Wizengamot file in an hour earlier than they were scheduled to.

"We'll show that Mudblood, Thicknesse was smart to move the Black trial to an hour earlier and he won't be here, not having a chance to defend himself," muttered a member of the court.

"Well, it's a good thing that Mudblood managed to be smart enough to think you might pull something like that and came here two hours before the trial was supposed to begin," said Lily coolly.

"Oh, Lady Potter, I trust you've gotten the message that the trial was to begin an hour sooner," interjected one of the court members in a falsely cheerful voice.

"No, but I know exactly how this court tends to shift things around at a moment's notice," said Lily, her eyes narrowing dangerously, as Madam Bones rushed into the room, she looked absolutely irritated beyond belief.

"Moving the trial around, this is the kind of thing that gives the Wizengamot the reputation it does!" snapped Madam Bones.

"Madam Bones, with all do respect, we wish to get this matter out of the way, there are more pressing matters than a trial where the person is guilty," responded one of the court members.

"Do not assume until the evidence has been given," replied Madam Bones.

"Yes, Peter Pettigrew coming back to life, supposedly turned over to the Ministry, but I've never seen him," muttered one of the court members under his breath, so Madam Bones could not hear him.

"Since we are all here, we should begin," said the voice of Pius Thicknesse, as he walked into the courtroom.

"No, not quite yet, we need to bring the key witness for this trial in," said Madam Bones and the doors opened, with two Aurors bringing Peter Pettigrew in, his hands and legs shackled. Lily smirked, as Peter screwed his eyes shut, attempting to transform into a rat, but before she turned him over to the Ministry, Lily had put an anti-animagus spell on him. Only three people had the power to break it and Peter definitely wasn't one of them.

"Peter Pettigrew!" exclaimed Thicknesse in surprise before he turned to Madam Bones. "Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"The less people who knew we had Pettigrew secured, the better, Thicknesse, we did not want You-Know-Who's followers to come here, and break him out, putting the entire integrity of this trial and the Ministry in jeopardy," replied Madam Bones.

"Oh, of course," replied Thicknesse, who turned to the Wizengamot before he grew suddenly serious. "Now, we must begin this trial, sixteen years ago, Sirius Orion Black, was found guilty for murdering twelve Muggles inside a street with a powerful shockwave curse that leveled the entire street. Four years previous, Black escaped Azkaban prison, where no one else has done previously, indicating extremely powerful dark magic, a trait that the Black family has had over the years. That is the official stance of the Ministry of Magic, Black is guilty and I recommend the court to uphold this decision, by giving Black the Dementor's Kiss for his crimes, to remove this dangerous threat from the landscape of the Wizarding world."

"The defense may give their response now," replied Madam Bones calmly, as she turned to Lily, who cleared her throat before beginning to speak.

"Three years previous, I have given you evidence that the Secret Keeper has been switched from Sirius Black to Peter Pettigrew," said Lily. "As you can see, Peter Pettigrew is sitting before you and in a few moments I will ask him a few questions to verify his guilt."

"Pettigrew has been given a truth potion," added Madam Bones. "While it won't force him to tell the truth like Veritaserum, his eyes will glow yellow if he should tell a lie."

"Who was the person who murdered the twelve Muggles and injured countless others with the Shockwave curse?" asked Lily as she turned to Peter.

"I did," said Peter, who knew there was no way out. "I sent the curse behind my back before I managed to escape. I never intended to frame Sirius, just kill him, but it did work out well in the end."

Several members of the court gasped, but others looked still skeptical.

"How exactly did you fake your death?" prompted Lily, even though she already knew.

"My animagus form was a rat, and I escaped harm from the shockwave curse, except for one of my fingers which was sliced off from the impact," explained Peter. "I managed to make it to the sewers, where I could blend in with the thousands of other rats out of there. As I was now a face in the crowd, Sirius or anyone else for that matter could locate me."

"So you were guilty of all the crimes that Sirius Black were accused of," said Lily.

"Yes," answered Peter slowly.

"That is good, but Black is still guilty from escaping from Azkaban," said Thicknesse.

"Could you show any proof of the Wizengamot approved warrant for Sirius Black's arrest?" asked Lily.

"He was caught in the act, we didn't need a warrant!" yelled a member of the court.

"But, I was under the assumption that the Wizengamot had to approve the arrest of any fifth generation or higher pureblood, with no exceptions," replied Lily.

"It's true," confirmed Madam Bones, who absolutely despised that law, but a small part of her was amused that a muggleborn was taking the laws of the purist's and throwing it back in their faces.

"Furthermore, Sirius did not receive a trial to begin with, an even larger crime," continued Lily. "When Bartemius Crouch agreed to imprison Sirius without a trial, just on Albus Dumbledore's word, according to Ministry law, he committed an even bigger crime against the Wizarding World, by denying a pureblood a right to defend himself. A right that I might add was not denied to many other accused, who were once again caught and placed back into Azkaban, after previously claiming they were under the pull of the Imperius Curse by Lord Voldemort."

Several of the members of the court flinched at hearing Voldemort's name and Thicknesse could not even formulate a response. There was no counter, a Mudblood had used the laws that the Dark Lord's supporters within the Ministry had pushed through, to help free someone who had been a thorn in the side of the Dark Lord.

"The court will now make its decision," prompted Madam Bones. "All of those in favor of giving Sirius Black a full pardon."

A good portion of hands rose into the air.

"Very well, all of those in favor of giving Black the Dementor's Kiss," said Madam Bones and a decent amount of the members of the Wizengamot still rose their hands, obviously they had already made up their minds before the trial even started, but those who had voted to free Sirius had just managed to outnumber those people. "Very well, Sirius Black has been cleared of all charges."

"Free," said Sirius in a surprised voice as they exited the court room.

"Yes, Sirius, I was worried for a few seconds that despite what I had said, they still might have still judged you guilty," replied Lily in a relieved voice.

"For the first time in sixteen years, I feel alive," responded Sirius. "Yes, I don't have to go back to that wretched house ever again."

"I knew you'd be pleased about that, Sirius," said Lily, as Sirius walked from the Ministry of Magic, a free man.

Back in New York the next day, Harry had just returned, with Hailey and his mother already inside and he would have loved to join them, to just relax after the year, but Harry had one thing that was stopping him from joining the rest of his biological family inside. Namely yet another assassin, the seventh over a year, jumping him just before he got in the protections of his home.

Harry duck a swing from his opponent and attempted to make his way inside, but the assassin gripped Harry by the shirt, before he flung him into the face and leapt up. For a larger man, Harry saw that his opponent had quite the amount of agility and when combined with his strength, it was a rather potent combination. The fist that just smashed from an angle high in the air just proved that, as Harry skidded backwards to the ground.

His opponent sprung up, in an attempt to put both of his feet into Harry, but Harry managed to roll out of the way and the attacker crashed down, his feet hitting pavement. The nearest weapon Harry could find zoomed towards him, namely a brick, as he sprung up but his large opponent did a cartwheel, catching Harry completely off guard, before he drilled both of his feet in Harry's chest and picked up Harry, before the Boy-Who-Lived became airborne, crashing down to the ground.

"I was lead to believe this would be a challenge," grunted the attacker, as he pulled out a large staff, with a Kusari-Gama sticking from the end, as Harry pulled himself up, removing his favorite weapon, and preparing to fight. The mercenary gave a mighty bellow and went towards Harry, but Harry deflected a pair of shots, before he back flipped over his opponent and gracefully impacted both knees into the back of his opponent.

Unfortunately, this rudimentary move had only stunned his opponent for a second and the assassin gracefully swung around, before he scrapped his sickle off Harry's arm. Harry winced his arm slightly cut but the assassin was not about to let up. Leaping up into the air, the assassin swung his leg slightly. Harry managed to block the brunt of the attack, but his knees buckled out from underneath him. The assassin spun the staff, and the sickle slashed the ground, just narrowly missing Harry as he slid out of the way. Shakily pulling himself back to his feet, Harry sprung up, gracefully somersaulting over his opponent, before throwing four shuriken in rapid fire at his opponent. The mercenary deflected them, but Harry stood back, with his arms folded and nodded, just as the explosive potion encased within each shuriken, triggered. A loud bang and the mercenary found himself flung up into the air, his weapon skidding to the ground.

Harry did not give his foe a chance to recover, and he sprung, landing over his opponent, with both of his wand and his weapon inches away from the mercenary's throat.

"Okay, I'm getting sick and tired of this, so you will take me to the person who is sending all of these bloody mercenaries after me!" yelled Harry, who had his ideas, but since they weren't confirmed, he wanted to know for certain but he was impacted in the stomach by the attacker, before the attacker flung Harry right on top of a parked car in the center of the street. The mercenary sprung up but Harry rolled off, before the mercenary punched right through the windshield. Blood sprayed everywhere as a chain shot from mid air, cracking the mercenary in the face.

Harry leapt down, but the mercenary grabbed onto Harry's leg, hoisting him up and throwing him down. Quickly moving around, the attacker grabbed Harry by the head and flung him backwards. Harry awkwardly landed, a loud crack was heard and at that time, Harry found that he had a bit of trouble breathing, the sure sign of a cracked rib. The mercenary nursed his cut up hand, before he reached down and picked up his weapon, with a grimace up his face. He whipped the chain at the speed of light. Harry, slowed down by the cracked rib, reached for his wand, but the mercenary pulled up Harry, before he swung him around in the air. Quickly, before he became too dizzied, Harry wandlessly sliced himself free, landing on the ground with a thud, before he pulled himself back up as the assassin charged him but was stopped in mid air.

"Your time is up, you have lasted the fifteen minutes," hissed a voice inside the ear of the mercenary.

"No, I have this brat on the ropes, I'll finish him off, you can't do this to me," protested the mercenary and the next thing Harry knew, his opponent had vanished into mid air as suddenly as he arrived. Harry collapsed to the ground in frustration, before he dragged himself home to get patched up. It was foolish to think that he would have a quiet summer but getting attacked the minute he left Hogwarts really irritated Harry but he supposed there was not all that much he could do about it.

Nearly an hour later, the seven mercenaries that had attacked Harry during various points over the last year had crowded around, as Lord Voldemort approached them and stared at them calmly through his eyes.

"You have all proven yourself worthy and you will receive your reward for assisting me," remarked Voldemort, cutting through the silence like a knife.

"It better be a lot of gold," muttered one of the mercenaries.

"I can assure you, that your reward is much more valuable than any gold," said Voldemort calmly as he reached into the pocket of his robe, before he removed a large chunk of crystal, that glinted brightly, as Voldemort swiftly waved it back and forth. "Your skills and knowledge are better served for one who has the power to utilize them to his fullest extent."

The mercenaries began glowing and Voldemort's eyes rolled into the back of his head, as he began chanting in a language that none of them had recognized, and they found themselves weakened, as long silvery stands shot from the top of their hand, guided by the crystal, as they met Voldemort, as he absorbed their knowledge, their abilities, and their strength. The seven mercenaries began to age at a super accelerated rate, as Voldemort absorbed more and more of their strength. This process only ended once the seven mercenaries crumbled into dust, and the crystal stopped glowing.

Voldemort staggered back, floored for a few brief seconds as his mind assimilated all of the knowledge. The scrolls had warned that this process was dangerous, even more dangerous than creating multiple Horcruxes, and there was a chance that he could be driven to madness. However, Voldemort's mind was much stronger than most, he could have handled the rush of new information. Hundreds of Muggle fighting techniques, with and without weapons, flowed through Voldemort's mind at once, as the information settled. The seven mercenaries had offered a great variety of information and Voldemort planned to use it to its fullest extent, as now he had the potential to surpass the only equal opponent in every way whatsoever.

The plan was beginning to fall into place, Voldemort would seize control of the center of the entire Wizarding World, Britain. With Dumbledore out of the way, Harry Potter was the only one who could challenge Voldemort and soon Potter would fall. With the final threat to his power eliminated, Lord Voldemort felt he could not be stopped.


	43. Chapter 43: Bishop's Gambit

Chapter Forty Three: Bishop's Gambit

**Chapter Forty Three: Bishop's Gambit**

Lightning whipped across the sky as rain splashed across the city streets. A loud whirl of helicopters could be barely heard throughout the area of New York City, as a helicopter touched down on the room. A group of men exited the helicopter, carrying a large cylinder shaped device which they placed upon the roof. Throughout the city, more helicopters landed on select rooftops throughout the city, with much of the same thing occurring, with more of the same happened as more of these mysterious cylinder shaped devices being placed down on the rooftops.

On the streets, van pulled up right next to the manhole. Out of the van exited a figure dressed in black, in his hands was a large sack and two other figures followed him. The two men pried the manhole open, allowing the man carrying the sack to dump the contents into the sewer. Miniature versions of the cylinders that were placed upon the roof dropped down into the sewers, causing several of the rats who were inside to look around curiously, as the cylinders began to float into the sewers, moving in every direction imaginable, but with only one destination in mind.

In the lair, Raph, Mikey, Don, Leo, and Harry sat around, after an intense lesson, that could have gone better than expected, as Master Splinter turned to them. Even though Harry had grown a bit more independent from Master Splinter in recent years, he still valued his sensei's teachings and made his way down to the lair whenever possible, to gain new knowledge, along with just hanging out with his adoptive family. In addition, the lair was a nice quiet place to thing, far removed from the chaos that tended to go on above in New York City.

"My sons, we have fought many battles and faced a wide variety of opponents over the years," lectured Master Splinter. "And do you know why we have succeeded time and time again, my sons?"

"Because we're just that good!" piped up Mikey in a cocky voice, which earned him a sharp tap on the top of his head by Master Splinter's walking stick and a few snickers from his brothers, as he rubbed the top of his head.

"It is because we follow the code and the principles of the art of ninjitsu," continued Master Splinter. "Through that discipline, we have been able to use our minds, to properly train our bodies to do what is necessary to achieve victory. Naturally our minds must be with the battle as it happened for this to properly occur."

Splinter looked over, as he saw Michelangelo's eyes not really on him, but rather in another location inside the lair.

"And where is your mind at, Michelangelo?" prompted Master Splinter, his eyes narrowing at his second youngest son.

"Uh right by the pool, sensei," said Mikey as the others turned to see what Mikey was looking at and popping out from the pool were several of the miniature cylinders that had been dumped into the sewer earlier.

"What are those things?" voiced Raph as he turned to the others for help .

"I don't know, but I doubt it will be good," suggested Don, as he bent down towards the pool, to examine them more closely, "They don't look like anything I've ever seen before."

"That's not all that reassuring," said Harry as he didn't know what would happened if he tried to touch any of those things and even trying to summon one might not be the best idea. The last thing Harry wanted to do was to blow up the entire lair.

"On your toes, be ready for anything," remarked Leo, as he withdrew his katanas, ready for on the off chance these were some kind of tracking devices.

In one of the helicopters, Agent Bishop stood, with a calm look as he surveyed the work of his men from high above. One of Bishop's men walked over to him, before addressing the shady government agent.

"Agent Bishop, the packages have been delivered," said the subordinate calmly.

"Excellent," replied Bishop calmly. "Proceed with operation mouse trap."

"Yes, sir," said the subordinate, as he pressed a button, activating the specially created sonic devices contained in the cylinders.

In the lair, Master Splinter suddenly and unexpected dropped to his knees, clutching his ears, as the Turtles and Harry rushed over, to attend to their Sensei.

"Master Splinter, what is it?" asked Leo.

"The noise, I cannot block it out," moaned Master Splinter, as he clutched his ears painfully, the shrill, sound echoing through his ears and no matter what, he could not block it, from echoing through his ears, it was a crippling effect that caused him to be unable to even move.

"Noise I don't hear any noise?" asked Harry as the others looked absolutely befuddled.

"I can hear it but it's not as damaging to us as it is to Master Splinter," replied Don as the others nodded. "It must not affect humans."

"Yeah, a sudden shrill vibration through New York City would be kind of hard to explain," added Raph, but Master Splinter remained on his knees, in a whole lot of pain, as the sound continued to assault his ears.

"We must…get above ground…block the sounds," said Master Splinter weakly.

"Okay, you've heard him," prompted Leo as Mikey and Raph helped Master Splinter up towards the elevator, as they made there way to the warehouse above and perhaps the Battle Shell to get as far away from the crippling sounds as well.

Inside the sewers, thousands upon sounds of rats fled, the sounds also effecting them, although not to the degree that Master Splinter was. The sewer was filled with a swarm of rats, as the giant mutant crocodile known as Leatherhead made his way out of his abandoned subway lair, both agitated by the loud sonic vibrations and the swarm of rats squeaking madly as they attempted to flee.

"The sounds, someone stop them, I can't here myself think!" growled Leatherhead, as the mutant croc punched the wall in frustration, cracking it, but more rats rushed by, as far away from the sounds as possible.

On the city streets above, the Battle Shell speed, the sonic vibrations, with Master Splinter in the back, attempting to shield his ears as much as possible from the deliberating sounds but no matter how much he tried, the sounds could not be blocked out at all.

"Don, head for the city exit, we may have to get Master Splinter out of town, until this sound dies down," ordered Leo and Don nodded before he made his way to turn to the exit, but a van pulled out in front of the Battle Shell, blocking its way from the city.

Above, them a helicopter, hovered towards them and Don shifted the Battle Shell in reverse, in an attempt to get away from the helicopter as it chased them down the street.

"Don, speed it up, that thing's right on our tails!" yelled Raph in a desperate voice, as he looked over his shoulder, as the helicopter turned towards it, before a loud missile was heard speeding towards him.

"It's floored right now!" yelled Don, but the missile seemed to be following them at nearly the speed of light and Harry prepared to disable it, but a loud boom echoed, as they were thrown backwards as the missile impacted the top of the battle shell, causing it to spin out of control before it skidded to a sudden stop.

"Okay, we should have been blown to bits, right?" asked Mikey, as the top of the missile was impacted in the top of the battle shell. All of the sudden, a colorless mist was sprayed into the back of the vehicle, causing the Turtles and Harry to shield their mouths, as it contaminated the air inside the back of the Battle Shell. As quickly as humanly possible, Harry staggered towards the door, before it flew open, as the Turtles and Harry made their way from the Battle Shell, but before they could retrieve Master Splinter, they all collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Seconds later, the helicopter landed right beside the Battle Shell and a small group of commandos exited it, all wearing gas masks. Quickly, they moved towards the Battle Shell, entering it and then they dragged the unconscious form of Master Splinter from the back of the Battle Shell, back towards the helicopter, as the leader of the group was on a cell phone, with a few more of the group guarding him.

"Operation Mouse Trap is a success," replied the leader, as the helicopter containing Master Splinter had flown off. "The rodent has been secured, Agent Bishop."

"And what of the Turtles and Mr. Potter?" prompted Bishop coolly from the other end of the phone.

"Neutralized sir," informed the commander before he paused. "Your orders?"

"No survivors," ordered Agent Bishop coldly and the commander nodded, before he motioned for his men to finish them off, pointing their guns at the fallen, severely weakened forms of our heroes.

Before the Turtles and Harry could be executed by Bishop's commandos, the door of a warehouse burst open and the large form of Leatherhead burst out, snarling, grabbing one of the commandos viciously by the throat. A loud crack echoed throughout the alleyway as the commando dropped to the ground. The others attempted to attack the enraged croc, but the croc opened his jaws, snapping down. A large sound of snapping flesh and blood splattering on the walls nearby proceeded what was left of the commandos collapsing to the ground.

"Where are we?" muttered Raph as his eyes opened up, as he looked around, with the others slowly coming to and seeing Leatherhead standing above them. It took them a few more seconds to register they had been taken to Leatherhead's current abandoned subway lair.

"Excellent, you're finally awake," replied Leatherhead, the mutant croc looking rather relieved. "For a few seconds, I've thought you may have…"

"Master Splinter, where is he?" exclaimed Leo suddenly, as he looked around frantically, as he realized his sensei was not in the subway with the rest of them and frantic looks appeared on the faces of the others as well.

"They've abducted him, I'm sorry, I could not arrive to save him time," said Leatherhead in an apologetic voice. "They may have also finished you off if I hadn't arrived in time but fortunately the gas was non lethal."

"Which means that whomever attacked you wanted Master Splinter alive," inputted a new arrival and the Turtles and Harry looked up to see the arrival of Professor Honeycutt, his memories implanted into a rather primitive version of the robot body that he was first transferred in back on D'Hoonib, made out of what looked like various spare parts that he had found lying around.

"Whoa, new threads Professor Honeycutt?" inquired Mikey.

"Yes, Leatherhead and myself have managed to obtain a blueprint of my original Sal 3000 body," announced Honeycutt. "The unfortunate thing is that using earth parts has made the entire body look rather homemade, but it will have to do."

"Okay, we really need to find Master Splinter, especially if Bishop has him," said Leo in a worried voice.

"But Bishop could be anywhere?" argued Mikey.

"Yeah, he doesn't exactly seem like the type that would hide out in the open when someone wants to find him," said Raph bitterly.

"The train car," said Harry suddenly and the others looked up, surprised that it hadn't occurred to them.

"Of course, we still have the train car that we took from Agent Bishop," responded Leo. "Perhaps if we could take it apart…"

"There may be a signal that we are able to trace that could lead us straight back to Agent Bishop," concluded Professor Honeycutt and the group rushed towards the train car, which was fortunately kept towards the back of the abandoned subway lair.

Master Splinter's eyes slowly opened and the first thing he saw as Bishop's looking at him shrewdly from the shadows. Splinter attempted to struggle free, but the fact that he was strapped to a gurney made escape to be a rather difficult proposition for the wise old mutant rodent.

"Bishop," rasped Master Splinter as he saw the government agent standing calmly, arms folded.

"Good, you're awake, Master Splinter," said Bishop calmly. "I must thank you, as the genetic samples I have extracted from you while you were unconscious may have just saved all of Earth from destruction."

Master Splinter stared at Bishop. He had no idea what Bishop could be talking about at all.

"But you look confused so allow me to explain," commented Bishop, as he pressed a button to activate a large view screen behind him. "For too long, the Earth has been plagued by alien threats, the most damning being the recent invasion of the ruthless and blood thirsty Triceratons. But, there are steps taken with each passing day to secure the safety of the Earth as back in the year 1870, as a result of the first officially recorded alien invasion on Earth, President Grant signed a bill, authorizing the creation of the Earth Protection Force."

Bishop paused, allowing Master Splinter enough time to view an image on the screen of President Grant signing the bill. Splinter did a double take, as the man standing behind Grant looked eerily similar to one Agent Bishop.

"The purpose of the EPF, my purpose, is to protect the earth from these dangerous extra terrestrials, for too long we have been an easy target for others," continued Bishop. "There have been many missteps, many set backs over the years, and the latest project proved to be rather unstable. However, extensive studies have indicated that there was one missing element that I needed and your mutant rat DNA is that element."

At that second, a large operating table rose from the ground, with a tarp covering a body of some sort, as Agent Bishop pulled a switch to activate large spirals, that shot electricity towards the body underneath the tarp.

"Yes, the new evolution of humanity lives," declared Bishop, as a hand visibly twitched from beneath the tarp.

Back in the subway station, the Turtles, Harry, Leatherhead, and Professor Honeycutt were in the midst of dismantling Agent Bishop's train car.

"I've never seen more complicated technology in my life," commented Harry with a frown. "In fact, I say whatever Bishop used to create this train, most of it was alien."

"Indeed, I recognize Triceraton and Federation technology, but there are many other forms of alien technology that I have never seen in my life," added Honeycutt as he looked at it closely. "This Agent Bishop surely does get around for an Earthling."

"I've found something!" yelled Don, as he removed a panel, causing the others to crowd around.

"The recall signal, just give me a moment to activate it and it should lead us straight to Bishop," said Honeycutt.

"This prototype has super accelerated intelligence and strength, it will be ready in a couple of moments to train others, having an army within six hours," said Bishop, as he pointed out many other stasis containers in the background, containing several other indescript bodies.

"What will you do with them?" asked Splinter, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Mainstream them into the populace of course," remarked Bishop if this was the most simple way of the world. "There training will make it easy for them to ferret out any aliens that are living among humanity."

"What if mistakes are made?" demanded Master Splinter in a horrified voice. "What if innocent people are ferreted out?"

"Frankly, that is none of my concern, I am more concerned with the bigger picture," responded Bishop coldly. "In fact, studies have indicated that the world would be a much safer place if approximately sixty three percent of the population just vanished."

Splinter gasped in horror, as the first super solider rose off the table, throwing the cloak off of him, wearing a metal facemask, and armor on select parts of his body, with tubes extending from the back of his head, into his back.

"Behold, the Slayer!" declared Agent Bishop, as he looked over his creation with a calculating smirk, as the Slayer stood beside Bishop, devoid of any emotions. "Just think, an entire army of super soldiers under my command, ridding the world of undesirables and making it a much safer place for humanity."

"The world has enough monsters without yours, Bishop!" yelled Master Splinter but Bishop didn't seem fazed by the rat's outburst.

"I don't expect you to understand, in fact I don't expect many to understand," replied Bishop calmly, as he looked at Master Splinter. "In time, all will thank me for the sacrifices I've made to preserve humanity."

Just at that moment, one of Bishop's subordinates entered the lab, looking rather frantic, as he approached Bishop.

"Sir, our sensors have picked up the incoming arrival of train car six eighty one," informed the subordinate.

"That train car was supposed to be destroyed a long time ago," remarked Bishop coolly before pausing for a second, as he turned to his subordinate. "Prepare a suitable reception for it, in case it's occupied."

"Yes, sir," replied the subordinate as he scurried off and Bishop turned to Master Splinter with a calculating expression etched upon his face.

"You, my little lab rat, are an interesting specimen and thus you will be preserved," said Bishop calmly as he activated a switch, opening a containment tank filled with stasis fluid before a piece of machinery dropped a hook down, latching onto the gurney and in an instant, it was hoisted up, moving across the room before Splinter was placed in the containment tank. Bishop calmly pressed a button, sealing Splinter inside the tank.

The train car containing the four Turtles, Leatherhead, Professor Honeycutt, and Harry arrived right towards the entrance to Bishop's lab and at that moment, a jet of lasers was fired directly at the train as it skidded to the stop. Quickly, Harry blasted the doors of the train open with a burst of wandless magic as Leo, Don, Mikey, and Raph leapt out, making quick work of the commandos, dodging fire, destroying weapons, and knocking them around. Towards the door, one of the commandos began to prepared to seal the exit but Leatherhead leapt up and grabbed him around his waist before effortlessly hoisting him up. The commando was slammed down across the ground as the entrance leading into the lab began to seal itself shut, but Leatherhead quickly got underneath it, before he used his immense strength to keep the metal door from reaching the ground.

"Hurry, I don't know how much longer I can hold this," grunted Leatherhead and Harry quickly kicked a pair of commandos out of the way, before he joined his brothers and Professor Honeycutt in slipping inside the lead, just seconds after the door had overpowered Leatherhead. The croc's grip slipped and he stumbled to the ground, as the door slammed right to the ground.

The group stepped into the lab and it looked rather dark and moody. Around them, were many stasis containers and contents remained contained, it was difficult to see what exactly was inside.

"Okay, I've seen a lot of horror movies and even this freaks me out," muttered Mikey softly.

"Greetings," remarked a calm voice as Agent Bishop stepped out of the shadows, with his arms folded.

"Bishop!" yelled Raph. "What did you do to Master Splinter?"

"He's still alive," remarked Bishop calmly as he gestured to the containment tank where Splinter was in suspended animation.

"Come on, we're getting him out," replied Leo as the others nodded in agreement, with Harry removing his wand, preparing to break the tank magically if necessary.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that," remarked Bishop coolly as he waved his hand and the imposing form of the Slayer leapt in front of the group.

"Uh, what is that thing?" asked Mikey but Raph angrily flung his Sais right at the Slayer, who expertly caught them, before the Sais were flung right back at Raph, knocking him off balance and causing him to go to the ground.

"ATTACK NOW!" ordered Leo as he rushed forward, attempting to swipe his katana towards the Slayer, but the Slayer arched his spine backwards, but he sprang up and grabbed Leo, before he flipped him to the ground.

Don was the next to try the attack and he swung his Bo Staff. The Slayer was caught with a glancing blow, but it only deterred their opponent for a second, as it leapt up, knocking Don backwards. Harry used his weapon to slice the arm of the attacker, backing him off, before another slice cut the arm.

The Slayer just backed off, as its skin slowly healed itself but Mikey took advantage of this momentary distraction by lifting up and a loud crack was heard, as the nunchucks cracked off the mask of the Slayer. Seconds later, the mask slid off, revealing long hair, one normal eye, and a second eye with an infrared sensor built into it. The face of the Slayer was one they knew and loathed, however.

"Bishop?" chorused the five brothers in unison, as they were dumbstruck as the Slayer stood there back at him as Bishop stood right at his side.

"Quite the handsome devil, is he not?" asked Bishop calmly as the Slayer calmly leapt onto the wall, crawling up it effortlessly, before it turned his head and looked at the Turtles and Harry.

"Okay, I'm officially freaked out now," remarked Mikey an absolutely horrified voice.

"Oh believe me, you've seen nothing yet," said Bishop calmly, as the Slayer leapt down from its perch, before it caught Mikey with a vicious kick. Raph attempted to attack it once again, but the Slayer swiftly punched Raph and the turtle was sent spiraling to the ground. Don and Leo attempted to attack it from either side, but the Slayer swiftly somersaulted right out of range before it sprung at them, knocking Don and Leo backwards, causing the two ninjas to drop to the ground.

This left Harry one on one with the Slayer and Harry attempted to catch him from the side but the Slayer leapt out of the way, before he drove his elbow right between Harry's shoulder. Harry thumped to the ground, landing on his knees and the Slayer leapt onto the wall, before he scaled up towards the ceiling and then flipped down, his feet backwards and Harry just managing to dodge both the feet hitting his skull. The super solider recovered quite quickly and nearly glided forward, both of his fists connecting with Harry's chest, as the Boy-Who-Lived skidded to the ground.

"Okay, you want to play rough, I can too," remarked Harry, as he raised his wand and prepared to attack his genetically altered adversary and quickly shot an extremely powerful cutting curse at his enemy but a magical shield appeared in front of the Slayer, absorbing the impact.

"He can do magic too," gasped Mikey in a horrified voice.

"Well, this is just great!" snapped Raph. "His abilities are far more advanced then ours without magic…"

"That might be the reason why he's so far ahead, he's using magic to enhance his fighting abilities," theorized Don.

"Everyone at once," suggested Leo and the four Turtles and Harry charged at the Slayer, but in a blink of an eye, the super solider vanished into mid air, causing the five ninjas to stop into their tracks.

"Okay what just happened?" demanded Mikey.

"Either he disapparated or he used an extremely powerful disillusionment charm," suggested Harry as he waved his wand, but it revealed nothing of what happened to the Slayer.

"Spread out, something tells me he didn't get very far," said Leo as he turned to Professor Honeycutt who stood in the shadows. "Professor Honeycutt, could you please find a way to free Master Splinter?"

"Of course, Leonardo," agreed Honeycutt.

"And be careful, I don't see Bishop, but that doesn't mean anything," added Leo as an after though as he joined Raph, Don, Mikey, and Harry in spreading out to search for their opponent.

Mikey looked around from side to side, an apprehensive look on the normally fun loving ninja's face and a second, in the blink of an eye, the Slayer leapt from out of nowhere in front of Mikey.

"GUYS, HE'S OVER HERE!" shouted Mikey frantically as the Slayer cracked Mikey in the face his palm before he ripped Mikey over by back of the face mask and effortlessly flung him into the wall, before the super solider impacted at least ten punches a second at rapid fire into the back of the head of Mikey, causing the turtle to slump to the ground unconscious.

The Slayer stepped into the shadows, as Don walked into the picture and rushed over Mikey, who looked rather battered.

"Mikey, are you okay?" asked Don in a concerned voice.

"Don behind you!" warned Mikey abruptly and the Slayer sprung at Don, knocking him backwards. Don attempted to use his Bo Staff but the Slayer calmly blocked a pair of shots before he leapt over Don. Don turned around and got viciously pummeled with a single punch, which caused the intellectual terrapin to drop to his knees in pain, as the punch had singed his skin. Another punch right to the cheek knocked loopy for the moment, as a black burn mark appeared on his cheek, as he landed on the ground before the Slayer stepped back, fading into the wall as he left.

Professor Honeycutt reached the control console and began to work towards getting Master Splinter out of the bio suspension container. From the shadows, Agent Bishop walked forward calmly, before he removed a Kusari-Gama from inside of his jacket as he took steps towards Honeycutt.

"Step away from the controls, cyborg," warned Bishop coldly as he whipped the chain out and in an instant, it wrapped around Honeycutt's right arm, the sickle hooking the elbow joint. With a firm tug, Honeycutt's right arm was ripped cleanly off, causing the android to stagger about, before he turned to Bishop, sans one arm.

"Now, that was uncalled for," admonished Honeycutt, as Bishop expertly whipped the chain right towards Honeycutt who just managed to avoid having his other arm ripped off.

Meanwhile, Raph looked around from side to side.

"Come out and fight me, you long haired freak," said Raph and a split second later, the Slayer materialized right in front of Raph. Quickly, Raph charged him and attempted to stab the super solider with the Sais, but Raph bounced off, hitting an invisible wall, before the Slayer hoisted Raph up and threw him right into a stasis tank. Raph landed with a thud, causing the tank to tip over and Raph just barely managed to avoid being crushed. Looking up, Raph recoiled at the contents in the tank.

"Bishop!" yelled Raph in surprise and inside the tank was an exact duplicate of Bishop. As Raph pushed the tank off of him, and as he rose up to his feet, Raph recoiled as he saw that each containment tank contained a clone of Agent Bishop.

Raph pulled himself up but the Slayer had disappeared from view once again.

"Raph?" asked Leo as he walked around, having heard his brother's grunts of pain and in a flash, the Slayer appeared in front of Leo. Leo managed to leap over the attack of the Slayer. The Slayer spun around before Leo hit the ground and sprung up high into the air, before he drilled his feet right into the face of Leo. Leo spiraled to the ground, as the Slayer hoisted up Leo effortlessly with one hand before he slammed Leo to the ground.

A loud bang echoed and the Slayer was wrapped up in a net, as Harry stepped from the shadows before Leo could get injured any further. The Slayer staggered back, before the net ripped to shreds, freeing the Slayer and the super solider went after Harry.

Honeycutt managed to avoid Bishop, before he quickly activated the switch with his intact left arm, and the stasis tank opened before the hook descended and Master Splinter was pulled upwards.

"No," muttered Bishop as he swung the sickle towards Honeycutt viciously but he overshot his target and hooked the bottom of the gurney that Master Splinter was hooked to. Bishop gave a feeble yank, pulling the gurney off of the hook and it plummeted towards the ground with Splinter managing to resourcefully pull himself free just seconds before it slammed into the ground, shattering into pieces.

Splinter stood front of Bishop picking up a large pipe on the ground as he stood face to face Bishop. Bishop leapt into battle, the sickle in one hand but Splinter just managed to block a shot. Another shot was blocked and Splinter leapt over Bishop, before he came back with an attempted kick but Bishop dodged the attack. Splinter landed on his feet and attempted to jab the pipe towards Bishop but Bishop calmly leapt out of the way before he swung the Kusari-Gama chain and then whipped it towards Splinter, who dodged.

"You will regret meddling him my plans, rodent," said Bishop softly, as he attempted to smash Splinter in the face with a chain whip but Splinter dodged the attack, as the chain cracking off the ground before Splinter leapt up and attempted to smash the pipe into Bishop's skull but Bishop ducked around. "Look, can't you see what I've done? I've created life."

"Nothing gives you the right to play God!" yelled Splinter as he swung the pipe just as Bishop swung the Kusari-Gama chain. The chain wrapped around the pipe and it was pulled from Splinter's grasp, as it dropped down to the ground.

"No one is going to stop me doing what is necessary," said Bishop as the pipe dropped to the ground and Bishop charged to engage an unarmed Master Splinter in combat, very nearly impaling the rat with the sickle. "Not you, not your little green brats, no one!"

Off to the left, Harry had been knocked down as the Slayer scaled the walls. Leo sprang up onto a section of scaffolding and the Slayer began to engage Leo in battle high above, deflecting each of his attempted attacks with his metallic wristbands, causing Leo to stagger back and forth, before the Slayer sprung up and knocked Leo off balance, the terrapin coming perilously close to the edge of the scaffold.

Harry looked up shakily, the edge of the scaffold was right above the top of the opened stasis container.

"Leo, lure him over to that edge!" suggested Harry and Leo nodded, just barely dodging a vicious punch that may have put him down for some time had it connected. Leaping up, Leo bounced off the chest of the Slayer, staggering the super solider back.

Leo avoided the charge and the super solider was off by the edge, which caused Harry to aim carefully, catching the bottom of the scaffold with a blasting charm. Leo dove off but the Slayer just lost his balance and swiftly plummeted right into the stasis container.

"Professor Honeycutt, seal the lid!" shouted Harry as the one armed Fugitoid managed to get to his feet, and quickly pull the lever before the Slayer could recover, encasing him inside in suspended animation.

Bishop looked and was horrified to see that his ultimate super solider had been contained, before he rushed over to rectify the matter but Splinter leapt up, managing to knock Bishop back but only for a sound. The Kusari-Gama whipped forward but Splinter dodged it with the sickle catching in the machinery, and Splinter dodged out of the way, as a massive explosion sent Bishop flying. The wall behind the machinery cracked and the water from the sewers behind the lab began to pour in, flooding the lab, as the battered forms of Raph, Don, and Mikey joined them.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" yelled Leo, as the large wave swept up the container containing the Slayer, sweeping it into the sewers.

"You haven't see the last of me, you meddling freaks," declared Bishop as he staggered from the laboratory, up a ladder towards a secret hatch, blood dripping down the ladder, splashing into the water.

"We can't let him get away, "said Raph in an urgent voice, as the entire group followed Bishop up the ladder, that seemed to go for some time, as the lab was engulfed in a flood, the unfinished clone bodies buried in the water.

The Turtles, Splinter, Honeycutt, and Harry exited a makeshift phone booth, and looked around the city.

"Whoa, we washed up in the middle of the city," commented Mikey.

"And Bishop is nowhere in sight," added Leo.

"Yeah, but he'll be back," added Harry. "Someone like Bishop doesn't give up that easily. He'll have other plans, other bases most likely."

"Indeed, Harry, I wouldn't be surprised if we seen Agent Bishop all too soon," concluded Splinter wisely.

In the sewers several miles away from the lab, the semi-conscious Slayer laid inside the cracked stasis tube, surrounded by a swarm of rats that seemed to be drawn towards the genetically altered super solider.


	44. Chapter 44: Exodus

Chapter Forty Four: Exodus

**Chapter Forty Four: Exodus**

_Hamato Yoshi walked up towards the Utrom High Council, as Mr. Mortu approached him, holding a medal, as he faced Yoshi. _

"_Master Guardian Hamato Yoshi, today you are honored with your service in protecting the entire Utrom race," declared Mortu as he presented Yoshi with the medal as the guardian knelt before him. _

"_I swear that I will do everything in my power to protect the good and noble Utrom race," replied Yoshi as he accepted the medal. "Even if it costs me my life."_

_The scene shifted slightly to a battered and beaten Hamato Yoshi, as the Shredder stood above him, with Hun and the Foot standing behind their master in the background. Yoshi looked up at the Shredder, hatred blazing in his eyes. _

"_He who lives without honor will end without honor," breathed Yoshi as he glared at Shredder. _

"_Bah, I will finish him myself," said Shredder as he raised his gauntlet and slit Yoshi's throat with it. Yoshi fell, blood splashing off the ground. "Now nothing can protect the Utroms from my wrath!"_

_Another fade to the Utrom Homeworld and it was chaos, as an entire army of Foot Ninjas and Foot Mechs entered the scene, as the Utroms attempted to escape, but they all fell one by one to the might of the Foot. _

_The Shredder, grown to several times his normal size, appeared to stand in the vastness of space, with Earth in one hand and the Utrom Homeworld in the other hand, both worlds set ablaze as he laughed evilly at the thought of both of the worlds at his mercy or lack thereof. _

_The scene faded to a mountain, where Splinter appeared and his Master Yoshi appeared right in front of him. Yoshi calmly bowed towards Splinter and Splinter stepped back, seeing that he was dressed in full guardian garb in the vision. _

"_I understand," said Splinter, as he realized what he must do now. _

Splinter opened his eyes, coming out of the vision as he looked up. The images were so vivid and while he did not understand exactly what they meant, he did know enough to know what must be done.

"I will not fail you my master, my father," muttered Master Splinter, as he looked up into the ceiling deep in thought.

Inside the lair, Harry was sitting in front of a computer, at work, as Ginny, who had arrived to spend the better part of the summer in New York with Harry a few days ago, sat right beside him. There was not much news coming out of the Wizarding World, as most everyone wondered what Voldemort's next move could be, after the vicious attack on Hogwarts by his Death Eaters that left many dead. All of Wizarding Britain was under a virtual state of fear because of the attack at Hogwarts; the one place that many had believed was untouchable from Voldemort's wrath. The atmosphere at the Burrow wasn't much better, due Bill being in a coma thanks to Greyback's attack. It saddened Ginny to see her mother under basically a state of depression because of what happened to her oldest son and the fact that Percy still considered the rest of the family lower that dirt. Even Fred and George couldn't find it in them to be their usual jovial selves and while Ginny was worried, she felt for the sake of her sanity, she needed to get away to get her mind off of things. Molly had allowed her daughter to spend the summer in New York, mostly because she was much safer there then in Britain and also because she just didn't have the will to argue against her leaving.

Harry enjoyed Ginny's company, but they had tried to avoid talk of the attack at Hogwarts whenever possible, because the deaths of two of Harry's friends still haunted him, despite his best efforts to push them out of his mind. Until all the Horcruxes were found or other leads regarding the whereabouts of key Death Eaters that he could extort information form came Harry's way, there was not all that much he could do. Everything recently had lead to a dead end, so Harry shifted his sights to a pressing problem closer to home.

"Finally, I'm in," replied Harry in relieved voice. "Stockman's improved encryption files were difficult to crack, but now I've hacked into the Foot computers."

"I knew you could do it Harry," replied Ginny, who didn't know really know a computer mouse from a regular mouse, but she knew that Harry was rather talented at what Muggles called "computer hacking" and from what Harry had told her, the Foot had protected their computers from these hackers, but obviously Harry found a way in.

"I guess I have the magic touch, Ginny," said Harry, which caused Ginny to snicker under her breath, as Harry navigated around.

"You've finally gotten in, I see," remarked Don, who had joined them.

"Yes it only took me three days but at least I'm…oh this is interesting," said Harry with a frown and Ginny leaned over Harry's shoulder to read what had appeared on the screen.

"Operation Exodus?" asked Ginny in confusion.

"Let me click on it and see," replied Harry and he moved the mouse over, but it didn't seem to allow Harry to access the file. "Damn, it might take me several more days to crack into here and look, there's more…"

Harry went back with one item before and several items listed after Operation Exodus, almost like a linear timeline as Mikey, Leo, Raph, and Hailey also joined the group, to see what was up. On the timeline before Operation Exodus there an entry marked "savior" and then after was "overthrow", "return" "overlord", "m. genocide", and "e. elimination" all listed on the timeline.

"Okay, any of you have any theories about what any of these mean?" prodded Leo and Don looked suddenly disturbed, as he remembered his interdimensional trip at the hands of the time sceptre.

"It's beginning," said Don in a horrified voice and the others looked at Don. "If I'm reading the Shredder's plan correctly, the world is already heading on the same path that it did when I visited that grim future thirty years from now."

"Yes, but you haven't vanished Don," argued Mikey. "Isn't that what caused the future in the first place?"

"I haven't vanished yet and even then, I doubt very much I was the only reason that the future was the way it is," said Don grimly as he looked at both Harry and Ginny significantly. "M. genocide, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what the m. stands for, he's been planning the events that lead to the future I visited ever since the Triceraton invasion."

"How do you figure that?" asked Raph.

"Saki's been referred to in the media as the savior of New York, because of his funding of the rebuilding of New York," inputted Hailey.

"Tonight he's holding a farewell dinner," remarked Leo. "You don't think he might be…"

"That's Operation Exodus, it has to be," said Harry. "And if you stop and think about it, it's painfully obvious where the Shredder's planning his exodus to."

"So, what are we standing around here for?" asked Raph. "Let's go down Saki Manor and cancel his travel plans, personally."

"Now, we can't do this without a plan, there would have to be heightened security because of all the important officials attending the farewell dinner," said Leo. "Perhaps we should…"

"We must stop the Shredder, immediately!" echoed Master Splinter as he left his room, causing Hailey, Ginny, Harry, and the Turtles to look up at the wise old rat in confusion. "If the vision I've had is to believed, the Utrom Homeworld is in grave danger."

"That's all the confirmation that we need, we need to plan quickly," responded Leo quickly, as the group prepared a workable plan to break into Saki's Manor and stop him from departing. Unfortunately, Harry had lent his Portus-Amulet to his mother and he didn't know where she was tonight, so that simple method wasn't available to them. Knowing Saki, Harry wouldn't be surprised if he found a way to secure the building from apparation or conventional portkeys, so it looked as if they were going to use Muggle methods to get inside. One thing was sure, they might need to shut down the Foot once and for all to stop the Shredder for good.

Out behind Saki Manor, several banquet tables were set up, as many of the most influential citizens of the city along with many city, state, and national government officials were in attendance to the farewell dinner. At the head table sat the Mayor and a pair of armed bodyguards, along with Oroku Saki and Karai. The Mayor rose to his feet as everyone appeared to settle in, preparing to give a speech to the people who had attended the dinner.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to start this dinner by thanking the man who had single handily restored New York after he had nearly been flattened by the Triceraton invasion two years previously, Oroku Saki," cheered the Mayor as the citizens of New York rose to their feet and gave Saki a standing ovation. In response, Saki had rose, bowing graciously at the loud applause, as he looked out at the crowd, before he stepped to the side to make a speech.

"You are too kind, Mr. Mayor and that goes for the rest of you," said Saki in a gracious tone. "I must say this city has shined on me in many ways, it has become a sort of a second home to me in my time here. But, however, this will be my last night here, as an opportunity to rectify certain matters at home has presented itself. Despite how good the city has been to me, I must depart. In my absence, my lovely adopted daughter Karai will take control of all my business affairs, I can assure you that she is more than capable. Still, I will say that there is a likely chance that I may someday return."

Saki narrowed his eyes for the briefest seconds, but he straightened up, as he turned to conclude his speech.

"However, this is a celebration dinner, not a wake," concluded Saki as he stepped back to address the Mayor. "Keep the guests entertained, I have a few matters to attend to make sure my departure goes as smoothly as possible."

The Mayor nodded in agreement as Saki and Karai walked off into the mansion, leaving all of the guests.

Outside the gate, a medium sized man with blond hair and hazel eyes wheeled a cart with covered dishes towards Foot Headquarters, but an imposing looking guard stepped in front of the waiter, with his arms crossed.

"Ticket, please," ordered the guard, as he stared down the waiter, with a cold look on his face.

"Ticket, ticket, oh where did I put that thing?" muttered the waiter, waving his hand in a hap hazard manner, almost clumsily knocking over several of the platters, before he looked up. "I seemed to have lost it, could you cut me some slack and let me in anyway?"

"No ticket, no entry," replied the guard sternly as the waiter stepped forward, but tripped over his own feet, nearly implanting himself face first into the dinner cart.

"Okay, fine, if you could just check the cart and take it in yourself it would be great," said the waiter and the guard bent down, to pull back the cart, to see Raph and Mikey underneath.

"Hi there, nice party," remarked Mikey casually as Raph reached forward and viciously punched the guard in the face. The guard thumped to the ground, as Raph pulled him underneath with him and Mikey, before the cart was covered. "Oh great, like it wasn't crowded underneath here to begin with."

A loud smacking sound echoed from underneath the cart, as Mikey groaned in pain.

"Quiet you two, you want us to be found out," hissed the waiter.

"Right, sorry Harry," muttered Raph to the waiter, who was in fact Harry in disguise. Harry casually wheeled the cart inside, with two of his brothers and the unconscious foot guard underneath, as he spoke into a headset, obscured by a disillusionment charm.

"Okay, I'm bringing Raph and Mikey in right now, Hailey and Ginny are following underneath the cloak," remarked Harry. "Team four, what's your status?"

In the sewers leading to the basement of Saki Manor, Don and Leatherhead walked down the tunnels, Leatherhead carrying a torch to illuminate the area. Don carried a computer backup copy of Professor Honeycutt.

"Team four is in position and good to go Harry," confirmed Don. "Waiting for your word that you are in position, out."

"Good, how about you team three?" asked Harry over the headset.

On the rooftop adjacent from Saki Mansion, Master Splinter and Leo stood, Splinter carefully aiming an arrow with a rope tied around it towards an opened window, before placing it a bow. With expert precision, Splinter shot it forward and hit his target. Leo helped his sensei tie the other end of the rope off, before he responded.

"We are ready to get in through a window, perhaps we can get a better idea of what we are up against," informed Leo.

"Got that, be careful, Saki no doubt has upgraded his defenses, and triggering even on them could lead to trouble," cautioned Harry. "Don and Leatherhead's already coming in from below, Raph and Mikey from the side, and you two from up above. Hailey, Ginny, and I are going to try and find the main power source for the defenses, so we can shut Saki's whole system down and fight him head on."

"We will be careful Harry and standing by if you have anything else," replied Leo as he ended transmission but Master Splinter had a look of turmoil etched upon his face. "Master Splinter, is something the matter?"

"Leonardo I was just thinking, what if the vision I had didn't mean anything, I could be leading you all into grave danger for nothing," responded Splinter.

"If the Shredder's involved, the entire world, no the entire universe could be in grave danger," said Leo. "Remember what Don told us about his trip to the future, we need to stop that from happening and based on what Harry found, if the Shredder is allowed to leave, this could be the catalyst to that point."

Little did the group know, another important player was keeping a keen eye on Saki Manor that night.

"Well this is interesting, very interesting," declared Agent Bishop calmly, as he watched Leo and Master Splinter on the rooftop, as several other members of the Earth Protection Force stood discretely in the background, before Bishop turned to his subordinates. "Check with our man on the inside, it seems like there's something he's not telling us."

In the building, Raph and Mikey were in through an air vent and were carefully scaling the ceiling, high above a corridor.

"Team two what's your status?" inquired Harry over the radio.

"We managed to get in and the entire hallway is crawling with Foot goons," responded Raph as he looked down, seeing the regular run of the mill Foot Ninjas, the Foot Elite, a few Foot Tech Ninjas, and a few Foot technicians. "They look like they're mobilizing."

"Figure as much, we are nearing the main power circuit," responded Harry. "I managed to get a good look in there when I was in there during the Winter holidays and Saki's study is one floor down from your current location. Try and move in without attracting too much attention."

Inside Saki Manor, Karai and Oroku Saki were inside the study.

"All is in order Master, in a few hours everything will be prepared for your departure," informed Karai in a slightly hollow, downcast voice.

"At last after the centuries I spent marooned on this pitiful mud ball of a planet, I will finally be able to return to the stars," proclaimed Saki. "The hated Utrom race will pay for their attempts to imprison me some time ago and revenge will finally be mine."

"And what of me, father?" wondered Karai quietly.

"My time on Earth has not been a complete loss, I have forged a criminal empire and raised a daughter who is more than able to run it," said Saki. "You will serve me as you always have, faithfully and without question, as I depart and on the moment of my return."

At that moment, one of the Foot technicians entered the room, before he bowed at Saki.

"Master, Lord Voldemort is on the line in the next room, he wishes a word with you," informed the Foot technicians and Saki slowly turned to Karai.

"Attend to our desk, I shall see what the Dark Lord Voldemort wants," ordered Saki and Karai nodded before she walked off.

Out of the sewers, Don and Leatherhead's journey seemed to lead them into a large tunnel.

"Man this tunnel looks like it stretches for miles," remarked Don in an awed voice.

"It looks as if it stretches from the Shredder's mansion, all the way to the east river," added Honeycutt from Don's portable computer.

"At least the coast is clear," said Leatherhead but little did they know, a pair of Foot Tech Ninjas were watching from the shadows. With a quick press of a button on their armor, they were cloaked from view, becoming essentially invisible.

Without warning, Don was knocked backwards by a vicious punch from thin air. He swung his Bo, but the Bo was pulled out from underneath him, causing Don to spiral down to the ground, crashing hard and Leatherhead found himself pummeled by both of their invisible enemies at the same time. The croc recoiled in pain as several invisible punches and kicks recoiled off of his body. His eyes narrowed in anger as he reached forward and caught the two invisible assassins, before he slammed them together, destroying their cloaking destructions. Leatherhead took one head in each hand and slammed the heads together. A large crack echoed throughout the tunnel, and the two ninjas dropped to the ground, absolutely motionless.

"Sufficient to say, I'm glad I brought you along Leatherhead," said Don before they continued their way down the tunnel, before they stopped short at the end of the corridor. "Uh, if you're wondering exactly how Saki's going to pull off leaving Earth, I think I may have just found our answer."

Indeed, right them, pointed right into the tunnel was a massive star ship that looked completed and ready to launch when Saki so desired to leave.

"A star ship, so that means our worst fears have been realized," concluded Leo, as Don had informed them on what he had seen in the tunnel.

"He has found his means to gain his revenge on our friends, the Utroms," added Master Splinter.

"Then, I guess we're going to have to cancel his flight," said Leo, as they slipped into the window.

"This is unacceptable how come you didn't tell me Oroku Saki had a star ship?" demanded Bishop in a irritated voice, as his men had joined him in the tunnel, a couple moments after Don and Leatherhead had departed.

"You didn't ask," responded Baxter Stockman casually, with a smirk on the holographic projection of his head, as he stood in a run down bunker adjacent from the control room that was to launch the star ship.

"Sarcasm is no way to build a working relationship with me, Doctor Stockman," warned Bishop but Stockman seemed unfazed.

"Relax Agent Bishop, we have a deal, I hold up my end of the deal, as long as you hold up yours," replied Stockman, as Chaplin entered the bunker. "Must go, bye now."

Bishop calmly turned to his commandos.

"Rig this tunnel for demolition," ordered Bishop calmly and they nodded, before they left.

In the security relay room, the massive form of Hun hovered over the foot technician manning the controls.

"I don't like this, where's the guard at the front gate?" demanded Hun before he turned to a free Foot Technician. "You check it out, now."

"Sir, there seems to be a security glitch, I don't know what it could be," said the technician who was manning the console.

"Well find out what it is, the master can't have anything to wrong, not tonight," thundered Hun, intimidating the foot technician into taking a closer look at the problem.

Outside, Harry looked side to side, before he waved his hand. Ginny and Hailey pulled the Invisibility Cloak off from them. Harry took the cloak and stuffed it his bag.

"Harry, I'm sorry but I absolutely don't like you as a blond," responded Ginny as Harry's hair and eyes turned back to normal. "Ah, that's much better."

"Yes I know it looks wretched but at least no one could have believed it was me," said Harry, as he managed to somehow open the circuit box with his wand, narrowly avoiding setting off a half a dozen alarms.

"True," agreed Ginny, before the two girls became still and quiet, as Harry snipped one wire with his wand.

"The internal security projection has been disabled Don, Professor Honeycutt should be able to lock down the entire building," remarked Harry, as the trio slipped inside through a side entrance.

"Indeed, internal lockdown in five, four, three, two, one," declared Honeycutt.

Back in the control room, Hun's eyes widened when he saw what was happened.

"What the…who ordered a lockdown?" demanded Hun as the red lights flashed and he rushed over, but the metal doors in the control room had slid to the ground.

Inside, Saki kneeled down, as the sinister face of Lord Voldemort was in his fireplace.

"I heard the news of your departure, Saki," said Voldemort calmly. "I hope this won't affect our business relationship."

"No, Lord Voldemort, it will not, it should only take me a matter of weeks to conclude my business and I will be able to play a role in your plans, just like you have in mine by supplying me with the metal," responded Saki calmly, who had a plan to put Voldemort out the way when he returned, a few years from now, after his enemies had forgotten of them.

"Excellent, your contribution may be small, but it is rather important to the next phase of my plan," said Voldemort calmly. "We will be meeting the day before to go over the specifics."

"Of course," replied Saki and Voldemort's head disappeared from the fireplace, before he exited back to his study, knowing full well that he was going to leave Voldemort high and dry when the time came.

"Planning a little trip?" remarked a voice that caused Saki to look up and he spotted Raph standing in the shadows, right beside Mikey.

"A little outer space mayhem perhaps?" asked Mikey.

"Not if we have anything to say about it," stated Leo as he swooped in from the other side, along with Master Splinter.

"Your evil ends here and now, Shredder," concluded Master Splinter as he aimed his bow before he shot an arrow right at Saki, who casually caught the arrow in his hand and snapped it in half.

"I shall relish destroying…" started Saki, but he got interrupted by both Raph and Mikey attacking him at the same time. Saki quickly grabbed both of his attackers, before he flung them to the ground. Leo swooped in next and sliced his katanas at Saki. Saki blocked the shots with his cufflinks as he was slowly backed off by Leo, as Master Splinter loaded his bow.

Leo leapt to the side, as an arrow went through the air, impacting Saki's wrist, pinning him to the wall by his right sleeve. A second arrow shot by Master Splinter impacted his right sleeve and a third arrow stuck right in the chest plate of the exosuit. Splinter then took aim and an arrow flew, impaling Saki right in the stomach cavity. A pained grunt indicated that the arrow had hit the evil Utrom inside the exosuit, as a visible swelling appeared

Saki ripped his sleeves from the wall, before he removed the arrows from the chest plate and the stomach cavity, that one having blood dripping from it, as it turned to face the three mutant turtles and one rat, as some of the artificial skin on the exosuit began to peel off, reveal the metal of the exosuit.

Bishop stood in the tunnel, gazing up and down at Saki's star ship. It was truly a marvel on the outside, Bishop couldn't wait to confiscate it to see what was on the inside. The EPF would no doubt find a use for it.

"Tunnel rigged for demolition, sir," confirmed one of the commandos.

"Then blow it," ordered Bishop calmly, there was no way he was letting an opportunity like this slip through his fingers.

The commando nodded, before he pressed a button. A loud explosion went off, caving in the transport tunnel.

Outside, the explosion could be heard and the Mayor looked up in confusion.

"What was that?" asked the Mayor in a confused voice before he turned to Karai, who had just finished whispering instructions to a foot guard, who nodded before quickly moving off. "Miss Saki, is there something wrong?"

"Mr. Mayor, honored guests, do not be alarmed, this is my father's way of saying farewell and thanks," replied Karai, as several fireworks shot off in the sky behind Saki Manor.

"Oh very nice," said the Mayor in awe, as he watched the show, as Karai slipped off.

"No, no, no, those crazy commandos, they've completely collapsed the transport tunnel!" exclaimed Dr. Chaplin as he watched the carnage from the control room, now inside the ship, before he punched the communication. "I've got to tell the boss."

Saki recoiled slightly, as a bit of his artificial skin was scrapped off by the attack, as he battled with his opponents and if that wasn't enough, he received an incoming transmission, as he continued to fight.

"Mr. Saki sir, it's that Bishop guy," explained the frantic voice of Chaplin over the radio. "He and his men have completely destroyed the transport tunnel, there's no way we can move the ship to the river."

"Bishop here?" grimaced Saki as Master Splinter used a sword that once belonged to his Master Yoshi to combat Saki, who just barely managed to avoid it. "THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING!"

Saki sprung up and knocked Raph backwards with a leaping kick. Mikey leapt up, swinging his nunchucks but Saki expertly ducked underneath before he punched Mikey down. Leo was knocked backwards as well but Master Splinter sprung up and knocked Saki backwards. Splinter attempted to split the head of the exosuit for the sword, but Saki blocked it with his hands, before he viciously kicked Splinter off and pulled himself to his feet.

At that moment, a loud thumping sound echoed outside the doors of Saki's study, before they were forced open, as Hun rushed in, leading a dozen Foot ninjas and the Foot Elite.

"Protect the Master!" ordered Hun as the Foot rushed forward.

"Hun, get this situation under control, I need to get my ship to safety!" yelled Saki as activated the elevator before he stepped inside.

Raph and Mikey rushed to Saki, but the Foot stepped in front of them, poised for battle, as the Saki statue that contained the elevator closed.

"Chaplin prepare the ship, we must launch immediately!" demanded Saki.

"But sir, we can't move the ship, they've completely destroyed the transport tunnel," informed Chaplin in a worried voice.

"I know you fool!" snapped Saki. "Commence with the emergency launch sequence!"

"But sir, all of those people on the emergency silo doors," argued Chaplin tentatively.

"Do it Chaplin, now!" thundered Saki.

"Opening emergency silo doors," said Chaplin reluctantly.

Outside, the dinner continued, as everyone was oblivious to the chaos going on inside Saki Manor. Unfortunately at that moment, the ground beneath them began to retract inside, as a large hole opened. Several of the people managed to scramble, before everything slid to the ground. A few weren't as lucky, as many fell several hundred feet below to their doom.

Bishop stood in the corridor adjacent from the basement.

"Sir, Saki's trying to begin with an emergency launch sequence," informed one of the commandos that was stationed on a rooftop across the street from the manor.

"Bring in Strike Force Bravo, shut this entire place down," ordered Bishop crisply.

Several helicopters circled the area around the ground.

"This is Strike Force Bravo commander, nothing gets up, nothing gets out," declared one of the pilots.

"And this is Bravo Two, we have control on the ground," said a group of heavily armed men stormed the crowded group of terrified guests, forcing them from the grounds.

The statue sprung open and Saki stepped out, his eyes widening, as he saw several of his Foot Technicians on the ground, with several more attempting to contain the large mutant croc known as Leatherhead.

"Thought you might try the back door," remarked Don, as he leapt in front of Saki, blocking him from moving with his Bo Staff. "That's why we're here!"

Upstairs, Raph wrenched his Sais into the Saki Statue, viciously prying it open as the battle continued around him. After a few seconds of intense work, Raph had succeeded, and quickly Mikey and Master Splinter joined them, as Leo blocked the attacks of two of the Foot Elite with his Katana.

"After them!" yelled Hun, as Raph, Mikey, and Master Splinter leapt down into the hole created by Raph and the Foot Elite rushed over. "Stop them!"

The Foot Elite rushed forward, and leapt down the hole one by one. Hun ripped apart the floor, giving more room for his large girth to leap down and true to form, Hun followed the Foot Elite. Leo was knocked backwards, as the rest of the ninjas quickly made their way down into the hole. Leo made a move to follow them but Karai rushed into the room behind Leo.

"Wait, Leonardo, he is finally leaving our world, you will be rid of him for good, and the truce that I promised years ago can be finally acted upon," said Karai. "You must let him go."

"Yes let him go and allow him to slaughter countless Utroms," replied Leo.

"The Utroms have hunted my father all of his life, they are heartless monsters," argued Karai.

"No, he's lied to you, Saki's the one who's the heartless monster and we're going to stop him!" yelled Leo, as he leapt down the hole to join the others, without another word.

"There is no way we are allowing you to board that star ship Shredder!" yelled Don as he faced off against the Shredder.

"The two of you can't stop me," said Saki coldly.

"No, together we will stop you," responded Master Splinter, who stepped out of the shadows with Raph and Mikey.

"All of us," added Harry as he stepped out from the other side with Hailey and Ginny following him.

At that moment, Hun, the Elite Guard, and the regular Foot Ninjas leapt down the hole, before they stared down their opponents.

"Step away from the master, now!" yelled Hun angrily, as he stepped forward, but a loud beeping sound outside, caused everyone to freeze.

Another side entrance was blasted open and Bishop led a group of his commandos inside the basement.

"Well, well, well, isn't this cozy?" remarked Bishop, as he saw that all of his enemies were in one place, before he turned to his commandos. "Destroy them all!"

A jet of fire cut through the area, causing everyone to scatter, as chaos reigned in the basement of Saki Manor.

"Okay, it's bad enough we have to deal with the Foot, but that nutter Bishop just had to show up!" yelled Ginny in a frustrated voice, as she dodged a jet of fire, before she managed to take out one of the commandos, before she joined Hailey and Harry dodging around to the side.

Leo leapt down, just barely avoiding laser fire, before he sliced the weapon of a nearby commando. Karai leapt down and threw her arms over her head, as she dodged down around the laser fire.

Saki attempted to get out in the confusion, but Bishop stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, before he swung at Saki, but Saki dodged his punch, before he leapt up and kicked Bishop backwards. Bishop calmly readjusted his sun glasses and squatted down to dodge a punch. Bishop deflected a kick, before he sprung to the side and tried to punch Saki. Saki caught Bishop's fist and wrenched his arm backwards. Bishop and Saki stood face to face, but the Foot Elite leapt in, surrounding Bishop, allowing their master escape.

Ginny leapt in the air, avoiding an attack of two of the Foot Ninjas, before she used her tonfa to knock one of her opponents unconscious. Hailey somersaulted in the air, before she gracefully cracked one of the Foot Ninjas in the face with both of her feet. She picked up his sword and just managed to block the attack of a Foot Ninja that charged her.

Karai leapt in the air, knocking a pair of the commandos backwards effortlessly. In the background, Leatherhead gave a mighty growl before he picked up a ninja and one of Bishop's men in each hand, before he viciously tossed them into the wall.

"The Shredder's trying to make a break for it!" yelled Hailey in a frantic voice.

"Not if I can help it," said Ginny as a set of thick cords shot from her wand but Saki was too fast for her, as the cords wrapped around a pole. Saki sprung up and knocked both Ginny and Hailey effortlessly to the ground at the same time. Harry rushed over but found himself face to face with a trio of Foot Ninjas that he had to fight his way through.

Saki continued to walk forward, but Master Splinter stepped in front of him.

"You cannot be allowed to get on that star ship Shredder, to take your revenge on the entire Utrom Homeworld," said Master Splinter, as he held his Master Yoshi's sword, threateningly in front of him.

"What?" demanded Saki. "How do you know of this?"

"My Master Yoshi was a guardian, he pledged to protect the Utroms and he forbids your journey," responded Master Splinter. "In his name, I will not allow you passage."

Saki stepped to engage Splinter in battle but Raph leapt up, jamming his Sais into the shoulder blades of the exosuit, causing sparks to fly everywhere as Saki dropped to his knees. Mikey viciously swung his nunchucks and cracked Saki right in the mouth, ripping off his artificial skin from the impact, revealing the metal jaw underneath.

Bishop blocked the spear of the Foot Elite Guard, before he yanked it forward, flipping him to the ground. The Foot Elite Guard with the axe swung it, but Bishop ducked and kicked him backwards. Another Foot Elite Guard attempted to sliced at Bishop with his double edged sword, but Bishop wiped him out, before he sprung up and knocked out the fourth Foot Elite guard.

Hun watched in horror as his master was being pummeled by Raph and Mikey. Rushing forward like a bull elephant, Hun knocked both Raph and Mikey away with sheer force, before he helped Saki to his feet.

"Go master, get to the ship!" yelled Hun, as he enraged the two turtles in battle.

Leatherhead caught sight of Saki staggering to the star ship and gave a mighty growl.

"Shredder, SHREDDER!" growled Leatherhead as he leapt up and cracked his fist right into Saki, before pounding him and ripping what remained of his artificial skin off, shredding his suit as he pummeled Saki. The exosuit dented more and more with each punch, as Leatherhead was relentless.

"I'm coming Master!" shouted Hun as he leapt up and knocked Leatherhead backwards, causing the croc to dropped to the ground with a thud.

Hun bent down, as Saki laid on the ground, the exosuit completely showing, except for a small piece of fabric covering the stomach cavity.

"Sir?" inquired Hun as he grabbed onto the piece of fabric, inadvertently ripping it off, exposing the evil Utrom in the stomach cavity of the exosuit. "Huh?"

Hun stepped back in shock.

"You're an Utrom?" questioned Hun, his eyes widened in absolute shock, as Oroku Saki, alias the Shredder, under his true form, the Utrom fugitive known as Ch'rell, narrowed his eyes at Hun.

Leatherhead pulled himself to his feet and leapt at Hun. The two titans staggered backwards, before the crashed through glass, spiraling down to the depths below.

"AH CRUD!!" yelled Hun as he plummeted along with Leatherhead, out of sight.

Ch'rell willed the exosuit to his feet, before he staggered forward, in an attempt to make a break for it as he reached the ship.

"Oh no you don't, you're not going anywhere Shredder!" yelled Don as he leapt forward, kicking a tank to the ground and breaking the valve with his Bo Staff. "Perhaps a little liquid nitrogen will slow you down."

The liquid nitrogen sprayed out, covering the mostly damaged exosuit, preventing their enemy from moving any further. Splinter leapt out and the sickle end of a Kusari-Gama whipped out, hooking the shoulder of the exosuit. With a mighty tuck, Splinter caused the exosuit to break off at the ankles and it slammed it to the ground, shattering into hundreds of pieces, with Ch'rell completely exposed without any protection.

Harry, Hailey, Ginny, Leo, Raph, Mikey, Don, and Splinter all advanced on their opponent, as Harry removed his wand, pointing it towards Ch'rell. He didn't use magic against non-magical individuals unless under extreme circumstances and finishing off one of his most deadly enemies qualified as an extreme circumstance.

Karai leapt down out of nowhere, scooping up her father, as a jet of yellow light incinerated the ground, burning a hole to the ground. The Foot rushed in.

"We'll take care of the Foot, go after them!" yelled Harry, as Hailey and Ginny followed him, to engage the Foot in battle.

"Chaplin, we are leaving!" replied Karai, as she raced down the bridge, leading towards the entrance to the star ship, along with her father, as the Turtles and Master Splinter rushed closely behind. Much to their displeasure, the door slammed shut and Don rushed forward, before he pulled out his portable computer.

"Professor Honeycutt, I need you to open this door," asked Don.

"I'm on it Donatello," replied Honeycutt, as Don hooked him up to a port outside of the star ship.

"Right, we are on, all systems go, countdown already in progress, this is totally going to be sketchy," said Chaplin frantically from inside the ship.

"No, I want that ship," said Bishop from his perch high above, before he spoke into his wrist communicator. "Bravo team, disable the ship, don't allow it to take off."

"Roger that commander," said one of the operatives as he piloted the helicopter from high above, before he pointed a rocket launcher. "Fire in the hole."

At that moment, the door of the starship opened.

"Way to go Professor," said Don.

"INCOMING!" yelled Mikey as a missile completely obliterated the bridge, causing Raph, Mikey, Leo, and Splinter to jump backwards, while Don just managed to propel himself.

Several more missiles whirled inside, blowing holes into the wall, but do to sheer luck, the ship wasn't damaged or disabled.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!"

"Ignition!" yelled Chaplin as he pressed a round red button, causing the star ship rockets to ignite

Outside, Hailey, Ginny, and Harry were still engaging the Foot in combat, while Don looked at the other three Turtles and Master Splinter, who were marooned on the other side of the bridge.

"Uh guys?" prompted Don.

"We're going to have to jump for it," suggested Leo desperately, as they leapt off the bridge, right at the star ship, as it began to lift off into the skies above.

**One more chapter and Heart of the Warrior Book VI will be completed. **


	45. Chapter 45: Shredder's Final Countdown

**Chapter Forty Five: The Shredder's Final Countdown:**

Mikey, Leo, Raph, and Splinter leapt with all their might towards the ship, just as it took off, just managing to cling onto the side of it. The star ship lifted off the ground into the air, as Don bent down, to help Splinter, Leo, Raph, and Mikey one by one, into the ship, where they collapsed momentarily from the exertion.

The final Foot Ninja thumped to the ground, as Harry looked up, as rubble began to fall, both from the combination of the ship going up and the attempt by Bishop's cronies to stop the ship from leaving.

"Broomsticks, now, we need to get out of here before we're buried alive!" yelled Harry and Ginny and Hailey quickly pulled out their Firebolts, with Harry doing the same before they mounted them, getting in close together, before they put up an overlapping shield charm to protect themselves and shot up as quickly as possible, without accelerating the cave in of the hole. As they went above, it was chaos, as the Commandos were running around along with the guests; the Mayor was absolutely frantic as Hailey, Ginny, and Harry touched down behind a stone wall, out of sight.

"We might have a problem," said Hailey as she watched the star ship begin to move out of reach into the atmosphere. "The others might need our help, but I don't think we can catch the Shredder at this rate."

"No, not on broomsticks, they were only met to go so high," confirmed Ginny as Harry rolled up his sleeve, to reveal a wrist band, with a small set of controls interfaced into it.

"Hailey, go contract Alexandra, the Aurors might need to clean up this mess and check for survivors," said Harry, as he pressed a button on his wrist band and Hailey nodded, before she mounted her broomstick and flew off as quickly as she could to the American Wizarding Government Headquarters.

A moment later, Ginny looked up in awe, as the personal space cruiser that once belonged to Prime Leader Zanramon of the Triceraton Republic touched down in front of them, but it looked a bit more sturdy and equipped with a few more weapons than she had remembered.

"I see you've made some improvements," remarked Ginny, as the door opened, allowing Harry and Ginny to enter the vehicle.

"Yes, I had to advance some of the features on this, just in case there was another alien invasion and there needed to be a way to defend the city," responded Harry. "I thought about using it as a defense against Hogwarts if Voldemort should commit a full force assault, but my tests showed that it didn't hold up too much rapid fire spell casting and protection charms were useful."

"Must be something to do with the alien metal," suggested Ginny and Harry nodded in agreement, as he fired up the engines, before the space cruiser lifted up into the air, and they made their way up, determined to not lose sight of their target.

The four Turtles and Master Splinter laid in the corridors, as the doors of the star ship sealed themselves shut, giving them room to breath, as oxygen was being pumped into the ship.

"Ah, that's better," said Mikey as the group rose to their feet.

"C'mon, let's find the Shredder and pay our respects," suggested Raph as he cracked his knuckles but Master Splinter shook his head.

"Wait, it's this vessel that poses the real threat," argued Master Splinter. "To allow the Shredder to have such mobility could put countless lives in danger."

"The launch has blocked my ability to transmit messages, so my attempts to contact the Utroms have not been able to get through," inputted Honeycutt.

"Continue to try Professor, we may need all the help we can get to bring the Shredder down," responded Don.

"And if all else fails, we might have to put down the Shredder ourselves," concluded Leo in a grim voice.

Little did they know, Chaplin watched there journey down the hallways from the security console. Quickly, he reached over and pressed a button that immediately placed him into contact with his boss.

On the other end of the ship, Karai carried Ch'rell down, as a pair of metal doors swung open, revealing a large exosuit with the Foot logo stamped on the chest plate.

"Uh, Mr. Saki, first of all let me just tell you that it's totally wicked that you are a squishy alien blob, man that it so out there," praised Chaplin in an excited voice as Karai placed the evil Utrom in the stomach cavity, before Chaplin paused and reluctantly continued. "Oh, and you should also know that the Turtles and Splinter, well they've kind of a hitched a ride."

"WHAT THE TURTLES AND THE RAT ON BOARD MY SHIP!" thundered the Shredder, as Karai activated a switch that caused the machinery to place the gauntlets on all four of the arms of the Super Shredder exosuit and the helmet raised into the air, before placed on the very skull-like head of the exosuit. "I cannot have them meddle in my plans."

"Exactly what are our plans?" inquired Karai curiously. "We were forced to launch prematurely, most of your equipment, your army, your Elite Foot Ninja, were all left behind on Earth."

"Yes it is not as I had hoped but it will not stop me," responded the Shredder. "As we speak, I have allies awaiting me on Tenilla Five and it would be simple enough to locate mercenaries that would join me in pillaging the galaxy. I will create a brand new army and with it, I will gain my revenge against the entire Utrom race!"

Back on the Space Cruiser, Harry looked across, seeing that the star ship was a bit out of reach. Slowly, he turned to Ginny.

"Ginny, do you think you could take the controls and fly this thing?" asked Harry and she nodded in agreement, as she shifted over. "I'm going to try and hack into the ship's computers, slow that thing down so we can catch up with it."

With that, Harry went to work, concentrating, attempting to get an exact fix on the star ship through the computers on the personal space cruiser but after a few minutes, Harry, made groaned in absolutely frustration.

"What's wrong Harry?" asked Ginny.

"Someone's already hacked in before me, and they've blocked anyone else from getting around," responded Harry in an agitated tone. "Sure, I might bypass their work but it could take hours, maybe even days before I even begin to figure out how to get in."

"And we may only have minutes," summarized Ginny. "I bet it was Bishop, he seemed a bit keen on getting The Shredder's star ship for himself."

"If it's Bishop, then it might be impossible to get in from here," replied Harry. "Manually, I might be able to, but…"

"I'll try and keep as close as we can, while you figure out something, Harry," responded Ginny and Harry went back to work, quickly working on a way to get past what Bishop had done to the ship's computers to take control of them himself.

In a lab slightly outside the city, Agent Bishop stood, arms folded as one of his subordinates walked up to him.

"Sir, we've locked onto Saki's starship and awaiting permission to fire," informed the subordinate.

"Fire at will," ordered Bishop curtly and at that second, the missiles were fired.

On the star ship, Chaplin looked at the control screen in absolute horror, as he saw the missiles rapidly approaching at a steady rate.

"Uh, Mr. Saki, another wrinkle, we have multiple red fire missiles on approach," explained Chaplin.

"WHAT?" thundered the Shredder angrily from over the radio.

"The radar shows at least twelve hostiles, but don't worry, we have Doctor Stockman's ingenious defense system on the job," said Chaplin in an excited voice, as he cranked a knob to activate the shield system around the ship. A red shield appeared around the shield, before a laser blasted the missiles away from the ship one by one. As the last missile approached, the shield went off.

"That's not supposed to happen," said Chaplin as he was taken aback as the missile struck the side of the ship and face of Stockman appeared on the view screen.

"Nuh Uh Uh, you didn't say 'may I'," taunted Stockman as Chaplin attempted to furiously bypass the system to reactivate the defense shields. "Nuh Uh Uh, you didn't say 'may I'."

From the onsite base, Bishop watched the carnage on the view screen.

"Sir, there are defenses are down," remarked one of the subordinates and Bishop turned to Stockman, who was standing in the shadows looking rather pleased with himself.

"Thank you Doctor Stockman," replied Bishop.

"Oh believe me Agent Bishop, it was my pleasure," retorted Stockman in a smug voice.

"Step up the attacks, blow that ship out of the sky," responded Bishop. "If I can't have that ship, then neither can Saki."

Several more missiles struck the ship, as in the personal space cruiser, Ginny valiantly tried to steer the ship out of the way, as Harry continued to attempt to hack into the ship's computers to redirect it back to Earth.

"What in the bloody hell is Bishop trying to do?" snapped Ginny angrily, as personal space cruiser just avoided being struck in the side with a missile intended for the star ship. "I thought he wanted the ship."

"He still does I think but I don't think it matters if it's in one piece or not," responded Harry as he rose to his feet. "If you want me to take the controls Ginny, I will…"

"No, I think I'm getting the hang of it Harry, besides it's looking more and more like you might need to get on the ship and take the controls manually," responded Ginny as she looked at Harry. 'I'm sure you do have a plan to get on board."

"It's absolutely insane, but it might work," said Harry and Ginny sighed, it was always the absolute insane plans that were the most logical. "I just need to make a quick change of clothes, try and get close as you can without getting hit."

Ginny nodded as Harry disappeared into the back of the ship.

Back on the star ship, The Shredder and Karai walked the corridors, in search for the Turtles and Master Splinter.

"We've been struck multiple times, but I'm trying to get through and override the blocks manually so…" started Doctor Chaplin but he was cut off.

"Chaplin enough take care of it, where are the Turtles?" demanded the Shredder.

"They're trying to gain access to the power core, sir," responded Chaplin, as he watched the blips that signaled the incoming arrival, of the Turtles and Master Splinter to that location.

The doors slid open to the room with the power core, a swirling mass of blue energy that had enough power to blow up over half of the world. The Turtles and Master Splinter walked inside, taking a look around.

"I hate to say this, but impressive," said Don in awe as he looked around.

"We can make this the emergency bridge," suggested Mikey, before he cartoonishly pointed around. "Spock to the emergency bridge, Scotty we need more power."

Raph, Don, Leo and Master Splinter narrowed there eyes at Mikey, before they turned away.

"Professor Honeycutt?" prompted Don.

"Just plug me into any maintenance output and I should be able to take control of this ship," responded Honeycutt and Don quickly paced forward, before he slid the portal computer into a slot right next to the power control. "In four minutes I should have complete control of the ship."

At that moment, the doors opened and the Shredder walked in menacingly, followed by Karai.

"We don't have four minutes," said Leo grimly as he took in the Shredder's super exosuit, as he walked forward in a threatening manner, as the Turtles and Master Splinter stood in a battle stance, as they faced off against Shredder.

"Shredder," declared Splinter in an angry voice as he withdrew the sword and dodged forward. "May my Master Yoshi's sword take vengeance upon you today."

The group rushed forward, with Splinter quickly swiping his sword but it bounced off the metal, causing Splinter to back off. Shredder sliced his gauntlet but Splinter dodged down and Don attempted to use his Bo Staff to stagger Shredder back, but Shredder fought that attack off.

"You've made a grave mistake following me here, rodent," growled Shredder, as Mikey crouched down, before he just managed to find a small flaw in the Shredder's armor, hooking his nunchucks around the spikes on the leg before pulling him down and allowed Raph to leap up, Sais up, but Raph bounced off, not able to touch Shredder because of the magical properties on the exosuit. He shrugged Mikey off and Leo swiped his katana at Shredder, but Shredder avoided that as well. Raph and Mikey leapt up but Karai slid into action, blocking the attacks, before Shredder reached forward and hoisted up both of the Turtles, before flinging them backwards.

Splinter sprung up, right on the shoulders of Shredder, before he swung the sword down. Shredder caught it and ripped it from Splinter's grasp, but Splinter managed to yank off the Shredder's helmet, revealing the skull head of the exosuit. Shredder shrugged the rat master off and attempted to cleave his head with his own sword, but Splinter blocked it expertly with the helmet, pushing the Shredder's attack back.

More missiles struck the side of the ship, causing everyone to stagger backwards, Raph lost his balance and flew over the rail, leading the engines of the ship but managed to jam his Sais into the wall to stop his descent. Don also staggered over the rail but Mikey quickly leapt into action and wrapped his nunchucks around Don's Bo Staff, before he pulled him up as more missiles struck the ship, causing several cables to fall into the battle area, electrical sparks flying every direction. Mikey and Don pulled themselves up as Leo was down right by Shredder. Don placed his Bo Staff underneath two of the cables, before hoisting them up, Mikey carefully grabbing the other, before they charged the Shredder.

"Hey, Shredder!" yelled Mikey and Shredder turned around, as they charged Shredder with the cables, but they weren't quick enough, as Shredder effortlessly smacked them away, before he grabbed the cables, before he lifted them up and advanced on Mikey with them, sparks flying every direction.

"Michelangelo, move!" shouted Splinter, as he swerved to the side, knocking Mikey out of the way, and Shredder stuck the cables into the chest of Splinter. Splinter went into convulsions as electricity filled his body, as he dropped to his knees, smoke rising from his burnt fur.

"Master Splinter," muttered Leo as he rushed to the side, but Karai blocked Leo's attack with her sword. The two swords clung together, as the two warriors battled, as Splinter dropped to the ground, the electricity being shorted out prematurely due to the magical properties of the metal of the exosuit.

"My Master was leaving, you should have let him go!" yelled Karai angrily, as she clashed her sword against Leo, backing him off, but another explosion caused Karai to fly backwards over the rail, her weapon dropping to the abyss below.

Leo rushed forward, fueled by his sense of honor, and grabbed Karai's arm, preventing her from plummeting to her doom.

"Thank you Leonardo, you are too kind," responded Karai, before she kicked Leo in the stomach, as she removed his other katana from the sheath on his back and leapt up, but Leo blocked her attack. "Much too kind."

Karai leapt up and swung the katana, but Leo blocked the attack. The swords clung together and Leo leapt up but Karai leapt as well, losing her balance slightly, dropping to her hands and knees, before she slowly pulled herself up, katana extended.

At that pointed, Shredder rushed forward and caught Leo right in the back with knee, causing him to fly forward and ram stomach first into the extended katana held by Karai. Karai's eyes widened as Leo fell to the ground, as she slowly pulled the katana out. Blood splashed to the ground from the katana.

"Leo, no!" shouted Raph in a horrified voice, as his hands shook in anger, before he turned to Karai. "KARAI!"

Raph rushed forward and viciously punched Karai in the face. Karai flew backwards and landed on the ground with a thud. Raph sprung up as Karai pulled herself to a standing position, before he kicked her full force right in the face, sending her flying backwards! Raph leapt up, the points of his Sais extended downwards, but the Shredder stepped in front of Raph. Raph attempted to stab the Utrom in the stomach cavity, but Shredder blocked it before he hoisted Raph up. He held Raph up in the air for about ten seconds before he brought Raph down ribs first onto both of the exosuit's legs. A loud crack echoed throughout the ship as Raph slumped to the ground and Shredder gave Raph one more solid kick right to his side, before Raph completely collapsed, blood dripping from his mouth, as he laid stomach first on the floor of the power core room.

Mikey and Don looked at each other, dumbstruck with absolute horror, they were the only two left against the Shredder, in his extremely powerful exosuit. With a determined and quite serious look on his face, Mikey leapt up and attempted to crack Shredder with his weapon. Shredder easily deflected the attack by Mikey, before Mikey staggered to the ground. Viciously, Shredder kicked Mikey in the right leg. A loud crack was heard as Mikey screamed out in pain and Shredder showed no remorse, as he kicked Mikey right in the left leg. Another crack and Mikey dropped to the ground, without a leg to stand up, before Shedder viciously stomped his shell.

It was happening all over again, only sooner and Don realized that as he leapt up and managed to smash his Bo Staff off of Shredder. Shredder stood, the attack having little effect as Don aimed his fist right at the stomach cavity but Shredder blocked it. Don looked up at Shredder with a helpless look, as there was no Turtle Tunneler drill to bail him out this time. One of the Shredder's arms lifted up and struck Don right in the back of the neck with a blunt blow. Don dropped to the ground as the Shredder laughed in triumph, in full realization that the Turtles and Splinter had given their best, but had failed to stop him!

On the personal space cruiser, Harry walked into view, dressed in body armor from head to toe, with the Wind Storm racing broom underneath his arm.

"Wow," said Ginny as she looked at Harry.

"Indeed, I started working on this in what little free time I had during breaks after the Triceraton invasion, a little bit of a side project, a hobby of sorts," explained Harry. "The armor isn't ordinary, as it runs completely off of my magic and should be more then enough to combat the Shredder's exosuit."

"Well it looks nice Harry," said Ginny, as she grabbed Harry's hand. "I'm sorry; this is as close as I can get it…"

"That's why I have the Wind Storm with me, it should be able to get me there even in space," responded Harry and Ginny leaned forward, before she quickly kissed Harry.

"Good luck Harry, and promise me you'll come back in one piece," said Ginny as they broke apart.

"I'll try," said Harry, as he tapped his wand and a bubble headed charm appeared around his head but he stopped. "The missiles have stopped, we must be out of range."

"Good, then that'll be one last thing you'll have to worry about," said Ginny who breathed a sigh of relief but Harry frowned.

"Bye Ginny, I have to leave, and if anything happens, remember I love you," responded Harry, as he entered the escape pods.

"Love you too Harry," responded Ginny as she watched Harry leave, confident that he would make it out alright but worried all the same.

Chaplin looked gleeful as he saw that they had escaped the missiles.

"Yes we are out of range, woo, we've made it!" cheered Chaplin in an excited voice, as he prepared to steer the ship completely back on course.

"Five seconds until I completely have control of the ship," declared Honeycutt.

"Meddlesome machine!" growled the Shredder as he sliced Honeycutt from the console forcefully. The computer dropped to the floor, shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces. "Now to finish…"

"Master Saki, we might have a problem!" yelled Chaplin. "Harry Potter, the wizard guy, he's on the ship, he's…"

The transmission went dead, as a loud sound echoed, signifying that Chaplin had thumped to the ground, as Harry stepped into the control room.

"Nuh uh uh, you didn't say may I, nuh uh…" stated Stockman, before Harry calmly turned the volume to mute, before he started to get to work, with one eye on the door, knowing that the Shredder was most likely on his way.

Harry wasn't disappointed, as the door was wrenched open as he saw the Shredder and Karai standing there.

"Merlin's beard," voiced Harry as he saw the Shredder's super sized exosuit standing in the doorway.

"So Potter, the others have fallen, you think you can stop me," growled the Shredder as he stepped forward to engage Harry but a net shot out of midair, wrapping Karai up.

"One on one Shredder, if you think you can catch me in that large clunky armor," responded Harry as he dodged as the Shredder charged in before he made his way out into the hallway. Shredder spun around, and advanced on Harry and attempted to ram his gauntlets at him, but one of the Shredder's spikes rammed into the wall as Harry avoided his attack, Shredder angrily wrenched the spike out of the wall. "Once I pry you out of that armor Potter, I'll destroy you."

Harry dodged another shot but the next time, he was not as luck, as he was sent spiraling to the ground as Shredder cracked him. His armor was geared to fight the normal Shredder exosuit, but this Super Shredder exosuit was a bit more than Harry had planned on. Shredder raised his gauntlets and sliced right at the armor. Harry staggered back, the armor managing to be durable enough to sustain most of the damage, but a small scratch appeared, as Harry came to the realization that his armor would be put the test.

In the lab, Bishop stood, his arms folded calmly, as one of his subordinates had filled him in on the latest news on the star ship.

"Saki's ship has moved out of terrestrial launch range, but we now have satellite control," explained the subordinate. "We are now bringing the weapon online."

"Fire at will," ordered Bishop curtly.

Harry leapt out of the way, one of the plates on his armor was becoming dangerously close to being loosened by the Shredder's constant battery on it. The one weakness Harry noticed and it was a small one, is because the exosuit was clunky because of its sheer size. Harry tried to keep moving but the Shredder's sheer determination to murder Harry had caused the slight advantage to become even slighter.

In the room with the power core, the Turtles and Splinter were all in tremendous pain from the Shredder's assault, but still alive, even just barely.

"Oh man, my everything hurts," groaned Mikey in agony.

"If the Shredder comes back, he'll finish us for sure," muttered Leo in a weak voice. "How's Master Splinter?"

"My sons, I am sorry," breathed Splinter, as his fur was completely fried to a crisp from the electrocution and if the magical properties of the exosuit hadn't shorted out the power in the cables, the unfortunate might have happened to Master Splinter.

"No, sensei, it's our fault, we didn't stop him in time, we've failed," replied Leo in a saddened voice. "We've failed the Utroms, Master Yoshi, the entire universe, and most importantly, we've all failed you."

"So that's it, Shredder wins," said Raph in a dismal voice but Don shook his head.

"Not yet, Harry's aboard, Harry can still stop him," responded Don in a hopeful voice.

"You know if Harry can't beat the Shredder…" said Mikey before he trailed off.

"I know," responded Leo grimly.

"Harry has to beat him," inputted Don.

"He'd better," concluded Raph.

"I have the utmost confidence in Harry, even though this may be perhaps his biggest test to date, but in the end, his abilities and training in ninjitsu, along with his training as a wizard may pull him through," said Master Splinter in a confident voice.

Harry was smashed into the wall, as a small part of his armor cracked, as Shredder threw him across the hallway. Shredder advanced on him but a large explosion had impacted the side of the ship, causing Shredder to stagger backwards. This gave Harry the advantage he needed, as a large version of his favored weapon materialized in mid air, made of solid magic and Harry leapt up. Shredder yelled in shock as the construct sliced into the chest plate in the exosuit and placed a huge dent into it.

"What is this?" demanded the Shredder, but Harry slid forward, and sliced at the elbow joint of arms. The arm broke off and dropped right to the ground. "Lord Voldemort assured me, that the metal would make the suit impervious…"

"Shredder, the magical properties of the magic may be resistant to Muggle assaults!" yelled Harry as he leapt up and impacted the pure magic blade right into the head on top of the exosuit. The head sliced off and fell to the ground, as Shredder attempted to smack Harry back with the gauntlet of one of the arms, but Harry blocked it, the weapon burning into the blade. "However, magic is more than fair game and too much magic contained in the metal causes an overcharge, causing most of the magical properties to fade."

The gauntlet was burnt mostly off as Harry leapt up and swung his arm like a windmill. The sword drilled right into the chest plate of the exosuit. A large hole burned right into the armor as Shredder staggered back.

Unfortunately, before Harry could do any further damage, a large missile struck the side of the ship, causing it to flip in mid air and Harry landed to the ground, losing his concentration. Shredder leapt forward and ripped violently at Harry's armor. Several pieces were cracked off, depriving Harry of most of the top half of the armor, only his right arm covered with the metal and Shredder raised his intact gauntlet, preparing to finish off Harry Potter once and for all.

Before the final blow could be dealt, a large missile impacted the side of the ship and a large hole blew through the ship. The force of which caused Shredder to fly back into the wall, and Harry pulled himself up, having the presence of mind to put a magical shield up over the hole before everything was sucked into the vacuum of space.

"Potter, this isn't over!" yelled Shredder as he pulled himself to his feet, but the legs of his exosuit cracked, and the majority of the suit crumbled to pieces. The evil Utrom landed to the ground as Harry looked down, hatred blaring in his eyes.

"You'll find that it is, Shredder," responded Harry as pure magic double-edged sword construct appeared and Harry lifted his arm high into the air, before the construct impaled the Utrom, burning a hole right through the top of Ch'rell.

Ch'rell alias Oroku Saki and the Shredder was finally dead and Harry dropped to his knees, breathing a sigh of relief, the long six year battle against the Foot appeared to be over.

Harry walked over and he levitated the remains of the Shredder into the air, there would be no resurrection this time, before he walked down the ship corridors and picked up the contained forms of Karai and Chaplin, before he quickly made his way to the power core room quickly, to see the fallen forms of his brothers and Master Splinter. As he stepped over, he sighed in relief, as they were still alive, even though in dire need of medical attention.

"Harry, is that…" stated Leo and Harry nodded his head but at that moment, a large rocket connected with the ship and sparks began to fly from the power core.

"That last hit just disrupted the power core, it could blow at any second!" yelled Don and Harry's eyes widened, as he waved his wand, containing Leo, Don, Mikey, Raph, and Master Splinter, along with the already contained Karai and Chaplin, in addition to the remains of the Shredder, before he mounted his Wind Storm and flew out, with the group contained in a hybrid of a shield and levitation charm, that took every bit of Harry's energy.

"Ginny, I really hope you're with us," muttered Harry as they flew out of the ship, just as the power core reached critical mass.

"Ship destroyed sir," informed one of Bishop's subordinates, as he looked at the screen. "Scanning the wreckage, no survivors sure."

"The Shredder dead," remarked Stockman in a gleeful voice. "It's too good to be true, for once in my life, I am speechless."

"You've been very useful Stockman," concluded Bishop. "I have a feeling this could be a start of a mutually beneficial partnership."

The next day, Leo, Raph, Mikey, Don, and Master Splinter were in one of the many bedrooms of the Potter Residence, resting up from their injuries. Lily had done the best she could to patch them up, but with their unique mutated cell structure and the extent of the injuries, there could only be so much that even magic could do, so they resolved themselves to begin a slow, long healing process to the road of recovery.

The door opened as Harry and Ginny entered the room.

"We've just stopped by to see how you five are holding up after what had happened," informed Ginny.

"Well I can't say we've had worst, but we'll pull through" remarked Mikey, as he winced, being laid up with two broken legs was not a pleasant experience to say the least.

"Karai and Chaplin have been handed over the Muggle authorities," inputted Harry. "As for the Shredder or his remains rather, they've been placed in a crypt underneath this house, placed underneath the Fidelius Charm."

"So it's over then, no more Shredder," concluded Raph, as despite their injuries, the day looked a bit brighter as they had one less thing to deal about.

"Yes, at last my Master Yoshi's spirit can finally rest in peace," concluded Splinter. "The Shredder is finished."

**And that's the end of Heart of the Warrior Book VI. Book VII is already in production as you read this. **


End file.
